As the supply for chicken wings is not keeping up with the demand, Tyson Foods is seeing a jump in demand for boneless chicken products. As a result, the company is putting an emphasis on dark meat deboning operations.
Speaking during a conference call with reporters on August 9, Tyson Foods President and CEO Donnie King addressed various chicken demand patterns.
“We have had really unprecedented demand for wings, and if I look at what demand that we’ve not been able to service fully or completely, wings have certainly been in that category,” said King. “There just simply aren’t enough available to be able to do that in the marketplace.”
To fill that void, boneless chicken meat products are being heavily consumed.
“We have seen customers move to things like boneless wings – whether it be white meat or dark meat,” he said. “The demand for that product is extremely good for us.”
While boneless breast meat has often been used as an alternative to wings, boneless dark meat has not previously been in as much demand. But that is changing. For example, quick service restaurants Wingstop and Golden Chick recently announced the launch of boneless thigh products.
And as boneless dark meat increases in popularity, King said Tyson Foods is making adjustments to its processing operations.
“Dark meat in the boneless form continues to grow and we continue to automate and staff to get the dark meat taken off the bone, whether that be in a fresh form or in a further-processed form,” he said.
The Tyson Foods conference call was held in conjunction with the release of the company’s financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2021. The diversified protein producer reported an increase in both net sales and net income.
Tyson Foods, headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, is the largest chicken producer in the United States and the fifth largest turkey producer. It is also one of the nation’s four largest beef producer and a major producer of pork. The company is also expanding its presence in the plant-based protein sector.
