While overall per capita meat consumption declined between 2006 and 2016, chicken meat consumption rose during that same period.
Recently released data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) revealed that New Zealand residents, on a per capita basis, consumed 40 kilograms of chicken in 2016, up significantly from the 32 kilograms of chicken meat consumed in 2016, according to a press release from the Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand (PIANZ).
That trend is the opposite of New Zealand’s consumption trends of meat from cattle and sheep over that same 10-year period.
Lamb and mutton saw the biggest drop of the decade. In 2006, New Zealanders consumed 17 kilograms of lamb and mutton on a per capita basis, but ten years later, that figure dropped to 1 kilogram.
Beef and veal consumption declined from 17 kilograms of per capita consumption in 2006 to 10 kilograms in 2016.
New Zealand pork consumption did see an increase, albeit smaller than the increase in chicken consumption. People in the country consumed 16 kilograms of pork on a per capita basis in 2006. Ten years later, per capita consumption of prk was 18 percent.
“The increase in chicken consumption reflects both the affordability of chicken compared to other meats, and its choice by New Zealanders as a preferred source of high-quality protein,” says Michael Brooks, executive director of PIANZ. “Colmar Brunton research as far back as 2011 revealed that chicken was a favorite for the Kiwi dinner table, and the latest data confirms that this is still the case.”
PIANZ, according to its website, represents the interests of more than 99 percent of poultry meat producers in New Zealand. The organization ensures that producers meet exacting standards in animal welfare, stockmanship and food safety.
