Chicken is currently a staple on restaurant menus, plated at 96 percent of establishments compared to just 36 percent that offer some version of vegetarian apps, entrées or sides, according to data presented by Kelley Fechner, director, customer solutions, Datassential, on July 23 at the 2018 Chicken Marketing Summit in Orlando, Florida. Further, almost 60 new chicken items are introduced on restaurant menus each month, or 713 chicken items in the last year, compared with 529 items for beef and just 31 vegetarian items. But, despite chicken’s popularity in restaurants, alternative proteins are increasingly showing up on restaurant menus as consumers demand a wider range of options, which means the industry needs to be aware of these market “disruptors” and get creative when it comes to creating new chicken offerings.
Consumers’ changing eating habits
Consumers’ food preferences are shifting, as 44 percent indicated that they would like to consume less meat, according to Fechner’s data, but this opens the door for the poultry industry to be creative with new product introductions.
Kelley Fechner | Photo by Alyssa Conway
When polled about “how I want to eat tomorrow,” 55 percent of meat-eaters indicated they would like to reduce their consumption (rather than eliminate it).
“It’s really about meat reduction as opposed to meat elimination, so that’s kind of the one really good news [piece],” Fechner said.
Additionally, when asked, “Among those who have decreased overall red meat consumption over the past year, what foods, if any, are you eating more of instead of red meat?” 73 percent of respondents trying to cut down on their red meat intake indicated that they are consuming more chicken, compared to 59 percent for vegetables.
Craveability is key
Although many alternatives to meat exist, it is difficult to beat the actual product itself, Fetchner’s data shows. Of consumers polled, just 5 percent said they “love” tofu while 60 percent said they “love” chicken — emphasizing the importance of “craveability” in a product.
Consumers will continue to love meat and poultry — that will not change, even though alternatives are on the rise. “If these companies think they are going to change consumers who love chicken and burgers, it has to be something really craveable. And, ‘Can they do it?’ is the question,” Fechner said.
“Be mindful of disruptive trends is really the key … Can you become a disruptor with some new item or new answer for consumers to think about how they are consuming chicken?” Fechner concluded.
Join us in 2019
The 2018 Chicken Marketing Summit was hosted July 22-24 at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World. Included in the record attendance at the 2018 Summit were attendees from 11 countries. The 2019 Chicken Marketing Summit will be held July 21-23, 2019, at the Belmond Charleston Place Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina.
