Will Chicken Wing Shortage Open Doors for More Pig Wing Sales?
The chicken wing shortage is ruffling a few feathers, reports AgDay host Clinton Griffiths. Restaurants across the country are reporting a shortage of chicken wings, specifically bone-in varieties.
A spokesperson for Chicago-based U.S. Foods told the Associated Press (AP) that the industry is experiencing some supply challenges and that meat processors are having a hard time keeping up with increased demand.
Chicken wing production remained steady throughout 2020, although some reports show chicken production down slightly from the previous year, the Chicken Council reports show the numbers as almost precisely flat, AP reports.
Paul Aho, an international chicken consultant who owns Poultry Perspective, told the AP that wing demand tends to be more inelastic than with other chicken products. If breast meat gets too expensive, consumers buy less. This is not true with wings, he noted.
Because of this, the small shortfall in wing supply can cause a big jump in price. For chicken wings, AP reports this spring could be a perfect storm for high wing prices with the high demand and relatively flat supply. As a result, some restaurants are cutting profits while others are raising prices, and some are doing both.
Could Pig Wings Solve the Problem?
When the pandemic hit, many restaurants went to a carry-out wing business. Bob File, president of Pioneer Meats, says the same thing that is happening with chicken wings is happening with pig wings.
In 2003, File and his partner trademarked the pig wing which comes from the shank and offers twice the meat of a standard chicken wing.
Unfortunately, pig wings are facing the same shortage of labor as the chicken industry.
“Demand has come back and grown since restaurants are reopening, but the difficulty is in the plants being able to produce at the same level prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he says.
File estimates that they are only able to produce between 25% and 35% of the pig wings they produced pre-pandemic.
“Demand has went up ten-fold, but we can’t deliver on it. I work with multiple suppliers, and they are all struggling to get employees,” he says. “It’s not an issue of product, it’s an issue of labor to process it.”
In the meantime, File says he’s continuing to work on innovating new pork items.
Read more:
Maybe Pigs Can Fly: Pork “Wings” Rise in Popularity
