Chicken remains consumers’ protein of choice while turkey shows room to grow, according to Technomic’s recently-released 2017 Center of the Plate: Poultry Consumer Trend Report. Chicken consumption has been bolstered over the past few years by increases at breakfast and snacking occasions. Meanwhile, turkey consumption is still centered on the holidays, though 39% of consumers who eat turkey indicate they are more likely now than two years ago to eat turkey during the rest of the year.
“Chicken’s adaptability will be on full display over the next few years as operators increasingly highlight this healthy protein across dayparts”, explains Kelly Weikel, director of consumer insights at Technomic. “For turkey, operators will work to menu this protein in a way that is new and intriguing, but still leverages turkey’s positioning as a familiar and healthy standby.”
Key takeaways from the report include:
- 47% of consumers say it’s important for restaurants to be transparent about where they source their poultry
- 45% of consumers who eat chicken strongly agree that restaurants should offer more chicken entrees with ethnic flavors
- 38% of consumers who eat turkey would like restaurants to offer turkey as a protein choice for a wider variety of entrees
Source: Technomic
