Increased demand for dark chicken meat creates new opportunities

Evolving U.S. demographics are shifting consumer preferences from white meat chicken to dark meat. Meanwhile, advances in mechanical deboning technology allow U.S. chicken producers to capture the emerging demand for dark meat while addressing the ever-present labor shortage, according to a report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange division, Greenwood Village, Colo.

Two key and changing demographic drivers behind the slow but steady shift in U.S. demand from white chicken meat to dark meat are age and ethnicity. Millennials are projected to surpass Baby Boomers in 2019 as the largest living adult generation in the United States. As Baby Boomers age, their consumption of meat, including white chicken meat, is declining. Meanwhile, Millennials are now hitting their stride in income, spending power and meat consumption. That’s because their generation grew up with international dining options that often feature dark meat as the chicken ingredient of choice.