In a merchandising environment in which healthy attributes are increasingly powerful meat and poultry sales drivers, fried proteins remain prominent.

While shoppers typically see fried foods as containing large amounts of fat and calories, a significant base of consumers is willing to accept them in return for flavorful meat and poultry.

Sixty-seven percent of consumers who purchase chicken from retail prepared foods areas, for instance, indicate they would consider fried options, reports Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based food industry research and consulting firm.

Young men are most likely to consider fried chicken over healthier options, such as rotisserie, while older shoppers will more often contemplate rotisserie and young women are equally likely to consider fried and rotisserie, Technomic reports.

“Sales of fried chicken dishes and chicken wings at leading retailers is growing and there is greater interest in fried chicken sandwiches for breakfast,” says Charles Winship, Technomic senior research analyst. “Fried chicken is one of the consumer’s top choices when they want to indulge and not think about health too much.”

Nevertheless, to ease concerns from wellness-conscious shoppers, more merchandisers also are incorporating health-oriented elements in their selections, such as all-natural proteins and products that were developed without the use of antibiotics, he says.

“Chains are not trying to argue that fried chicken is healthy, but they want to highlight that it is made from higher quality ingredients and are almost positioning it as more of a balanced indulgence,” Winship says.

Eyeing ingredients

Wellness attributes can be important as 30 percent of shoppers indicate they put a lot of effort into choosing nutritious and healthful meat and poultry options, with an additional 46 percent noting they give it some effort, according to the 2018 Power of Meat report. Just 22 percent of shoppers, meanwhile, say they give only a little effort and 2 percent report no effort.

The 2018 Power of Meat report is published by the Arlington, Va.-based Food Marketing Institute and Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education.

“Retailers do not have to focus on the health conversation when marketing fried meat and poultry, but instead spotlight meal solutions in which fried chicken might come with such side dishes as salad, vegetables and fruit,” says Diana Sheehan, vice president of retail and shopper insights for Kantar Retail, a Boston-based research and consulting firm. “It is more about shopper marketing and communications than anything else. Consumers also are recognizing that it is fine to eat foods that are not the healthiest if it is done in moderation.”

Fried meat and poultry merchandisers, meanwhile, also can benefit by responding to consumers’ interest in adding more protein to their diets, analysts say.

The 2018 Power of Meat report notes, for instance, that 54 percent of shoppers want to see protein content displayed on packages, which exceeds the 50 percent who want to see the amount of total fat listed and the 45 percent who scrutinize meat and poultry packages for sodium levels.

In addition, 64 percent of nutrition-focused shoppers say they are interested in protein content, along with 67 percent of young Millennials, 58 percent of older Millennials, 55 percent of Generation Xers and 42 percent of Baby Boomers, the 2018 Power of Meat shows.

“When it comes to ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’ perceptions, a particular preparation method may not be as important as other attributes, such as being high in protein or mineral or nutrient rich,” says Jackie Rodriguez, senior product manager for Datassential, a Chicago-based food research firm. “Stir-fry, for instance, may even have a bigger health halo when it pairs meat or poultry with vegetables.”

The demographic difference

While chicken is the dominant fried protein and appeals to most shopper segments, country fried steaks and similar fried meats are more popular with older consumers, says Maeve Webster, president of Menu Matters, an Arlington, Vt.-based food industry consulting firm.

“Such items are rarely offered at foodservice locations and are likely not on younger consumers’ radar,” she notes.

Younger shoppers, she says, have more interest in world cuisine-influenced fried options and regionality also influences preferences. Fried chicken and country fried steaks, for instance, are more prevalent in the South, Webster says.

“While fried meat has a very unhealthy perception, selections, and especially fried chicken, remain very popular and are enjoying a renaissance in foodservice so availability has increased,” she says.

Webster notes many older shoppers view fried meat as an indulgence they understand to be unhealthy and should only consume on rare occasions.

“But younger consumers appear to have more of a checks and balances approach to eating,” she says. “Though they also see fried meat and poultry as an indulgence, they are fine if it is offset with better-for-you options.”

Such differing attitudes among demographic groups can make it tricky for retailers to effectively merchandise fried proteins, Webster says.

“If consumers perceive retailers to be pushing extremely unhealthy options, the shoppers can lose faith in the motives or objectives of the operation and may consider alternatives,” she says. “Marketers should put the selections in the proper framework, such as positioning fried meat and poultry as an occasional treat during the week or a special dinner for the family.”

The trendiness of fried chicken, meanwhile, can spur retailers to offer more interesting items, including selections with different breading flavors, dipping sauces and side dishes, Webster says, adding that such alternatives can make the fried meal more of an experience rather than an unhealthy endeavor.

Many merchandisers, meanwhile, already focus on flavor enhancement by using spicy sauces and seasonings such as black pepper and chipotle and sweeter alternatives, including honey, in fried chicken recipes, Winship says.

“There is a wider range of fried chicken being offered in many retailers’ prepared foods sections, especially on the hot bar where there might be a half dozen flavors of chicken wings,” Rodriguez says.

Convenience is a key

She notes such easy-access displays also often feature multiple side dishes and other meal components and help create the perception of fried proteins, especially chicken, as convenient meal options.

Frozen chicken nuggets and tenders, Rodriguez adds, are among the most popular convenience proteins, and more consumers are open to snacking on different flavors of meat.

Newer varieties of Chicharron, which typically consists of fried pork belly or fried pork rinds, are becoming more popular, she says.

“The positive perception of fried foods, and particularly poultry, is increasing,” Rodriguez says.  

To further boost fried meat and poultry activity, retailers also should make the bundling of meals as convenient as possible, says Tom Super, senior vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Chicken Council. That can include having signage at fried chicken displays that suggest companion foods with messaging that shows where the foods are found in the store, he says.

Offering a wide array of options can also bolster interest, he says. Options can include hot and chilled fried chicken; fried poultry in such formats as skin-on, bone-in, batter and breaded parts, nuggets, strips and patties; unique flavors, including smoky fried, buttermilk fried, barbecue fried and Asian fried; and packaging that better maintains the temperature of fried chicken, Super says.

In addition, merchandisers can make fried chicken more enticing to health-oriented shoppers by incorporating hot air frying, a technique that uses little oil and develops products that have fewer calories and less fat, Super says.

Such elements will be increasingly important as more shoppers focus on quality rather than affordability when purchasing fried meat and poultry, Winship says.

“The key to boosting activity is to keep up with the flavor and quality trends and for retailers to tap into the demand for spicy and ethnic options, while at the same time making sure the options are meeting expectations for taste and freshness,” he says.

Though fried chicken has an advantage of often being less costly than other proteins, an increasing number of consumers are buying brands for quality and not price, Winship says.

“There may be a shift in the value equation with quality standards rising, including for brands that have more of an affordability appeal,” he says.  NP