February 23, 2007

US poultry processors urge producers to consider smaller birds
 

Although big birds may be popular with processors, the market still like smaller birds better, according to findings from a US retail consulting firm. 

In a session called "Big Bird Programmes: The Customer Perspective," a panel representing the customer viewpoint examined the US chicken industry's "big bird" production programmes.

John Hauptman, vice president of retail consulting firm Willard Bishop, said big birds can pose economic and quality issues for retailers. The optimal size for whole fryers at retail is considered to be around three pounds dressed weight.

Although larger birds may make for greater presentation and higher profits, quality concerns such as tougher and less flavourful meat can result, he said.

Ken Parnell of Parnell Leaton Consulting, and former vice president of purchasing for Wal-Mart, said in the 1970s, bird weights were under 3 pounds. Now, broilers can even grow up to 13 pounds.

Parnell said that such large sized birds would need to be pumped or marinated to be acceptable, and retailers would have to incur the extra cost of developing marination and cooking processes.

Mike Sobel, director of purchasing for Zaxby's, a chicken retailer, said its customers overwhelmingly chose smaller tenders in taste tests. Although it is more cost effective to produce larger birds, Sobel urged the industry to search for a way to produce smaller birds more economically to facilitate production of smaller tenders.