Proponents of the slower-growing broiler movement claim that the meat product from those chickens has a superior flavor. However, Dr. Eilir Jones, CEO of Poultry Nutrition Limited, questions the validity of those claims.
Why is chicken flavor often masked?
Jones, who spoke at the recent Alltech Ideas Conference in Lexington, Kentucky, wondered about how important flavor really is to chicken consumers.
He stated that about 50 percent of all chicken meat sold is either further processed or part of packaged meals. Those products include sauces, gravies, spices and vegetables that “mask the flavor of chicken.”
He even quipped that the night before, he ate some chicken wings that were covered in a sauce so strong, “he was still tasting it today,” and he didn’t think he even could taste the chicken when he was eating it.
Breast meat sales outpace more flavorful thigh meat
Jones pointed out that chicken breast meat does not have as strong of a flavor as dark meat chicken such as thighs. Yet breast meat is particularly popular with children and as a whole sells better than dark meat, leaving much of the dark meat to be exported to other markets.
“If people really want more flavor from chicken, wouldn’t dark meat command a higher price in the U.S. and Europe? It’s rather simple. If you want more flavor in your chicken, eat more thigh meat,” he said.
Jones added that the meat from spent layers also has a stronger flavor, yet it is not perceived as a more desirable product.
Claims of tenderness
Jones has also heard arguments over whether meat from mainstream broiler breeds is tougher or more tender than that from slower growing broilers.
That is mostly a moot point, Jones said, as complaints about chicken meat being too tough are seldom heard.
Consumers want choices
Jones did not argue that there are people who do think the meat from slower-growing broilers tastes better than the meat from breeds more commonly used in the chicken industry, but he did say those who sell and serve chicken need to provide choices to consumers.
As more foodservice companies and restaurant chains are signing pledges to transition toward serving only chicken from slower-growing broilers, that takes away people’s ability to choose.
“We don’t like someone else telling us what and what not to eat,” said Jones.
