CHICKEN - Wisconsin Grocers Association

More consumers are reaching for the answer:CHICKENEver since KFC was founded in 1952 in Louisiana,people have clamored for Colonel Sanders’ secretfried chicken recipe. In the following decades evenmore people have been hungering for chicken.Fried chicken is still a favorite commodity, buttoday shoppers areIf you aren’t on the buying chicken to bake,chicken bandwagon stir-fry, broil, grill, anduse in thousands ofconsider this: recipes.demand for chicken If you aren’t on thechicken bandwagonmeat during theconsider this: demandfirst nine months of for chicken during thefirst nine months of2011 remained 2011 remained highhigh and the and the forecast isbright. Throughout theforecast is bright. U.S. chicken sales areup this year over 2010.The USDA is forecasting poultry production toreach an estimated 43.26 billion pounds this year,up from 2010 figures. Annual U.S. chickenconsumption per person rose to 82.2 pounds in2010 and is expected to grow to 84 pounds in2011.*Yes, fried chicken is still a favorite food, but today’sbusy shoppers are looking for easy chicken-readyoptions like frozenchicken fillets that canGNP Company,be quickly cooked andoffer numerous reasons the largest poultryfor consumers to beprocessor inproud to serve chicken.A discussion about Wisconsin, prideschicken wouldn’t be itself on highcomplete without amention of today’s quality standardseconomy. Even though and products thatit has had an impact onmany people’s lifestyles reflect shoppers’and behaviors, lifestyles.*USDA, March 2011consumers haven’t given up wanting quality when itcomes to buying chicken. They want consistentvalue from brands they trust. Theywant to know what they’re buying,and they want to know theirgrocers offer quality chicken ataffordable prices.So if you haven’t been thinkingchicken as a way to shine, startthinking of it now.What consumers wantBusy consumers have numerous ideas about whattypes of chicken recipes taste best, but mostpeople today want nutritious dishes that are easyto whip up.Jeff Stuczynski, Business Manager with GNPCompany, a St. Cloud, Minnesota chickenproducer whose brands are Gold’n Plump ® and JustBARE ® , says, “We realize today’s savvy consumersare balancing many tasks during the day. For thatreason we are committed to meeting the customerwhere they are and giving them options that areimportant to them.”The company also has a strong sense of socialresponsibility and is focused on sustainable, greeninitiatives.GNP Company, the largest poultry processor inWisconsin, prides itself on high quality standardsand products that reflect shoppers’ lifestyles. “Werecognize that people want healthy, tasty, andconvenient foodchoices,” saysStuczynski.“Consequently, one ofour new products isthe individuallywrapped, boneless,seasoned chickenbreast fillets. They are>>>ABOUT THETruthful LabelingCoalitionYou can’t alwaysjudge chicken byits label.The USDA currentlyallowschickenpumpedwithsaltwaterand bindingagents to belabeled “AllNatural.”Members of the TruthfulLabeling Coalition,including local poultryproducer GNP Company,and more than 30,000consumers nationwide,believe chicken withadditives should not belabeled “All Natural”and should be clearlylabeled and easy toread.More information aboutthe movement fortruthful chicken labelingand the USDA opencomment period (closingon January 19, 2012)is available online athttp://www.truthfullabeling.org/.2011 Expo WISCONSIN GROCER 212011 FALL WISCONSIN GROCER 21