When it comes to the Super Bowl, the wing is king. The National Chicken Council (NCC) is releasing its annual Chicken Wing Report, projecting Americans to consume a record-breaking 1.45 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl LVII weekend. This figure represents an increase of 2% from last year’s report, the equivalent of 84 million more wings.
There are several reasons for the uptick, says National Chicken Council spokesperson Tom Super. "The two main reasons are more favorable prices and more people getting back to normal and gathering for the [big game,] whether at home or at a bar/restaurant," Super said. "While Americans are seeing inflation impact almost every part of their lives, both wholesale and retail wing prices are down double digits from a year ago, according to USDA, and consumers are seeing a lot more features and promotions."
When comparing the week ending 1/22/23 to the week ending 1/08/23 (final week of regular season), wing sales grew double digits in both dollars (+11.5%) and pounds sold (+13.5%) within the Kansas City, Missouri, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, San Francisco, California, and Cincinnati, Ohio markets. (Source: IRI OmniMarket Integrated Fresh).
So how do 1.45 billion chicken wings stack up?
- 1.45 billion wings laid end to end would stretch from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about 62 times.
- Enough to give four wings each to every man, woman and child in the United States
- Phoenix’s State Farm Stadium (home of Super Bowl LVII) can hold 73,000 people. If 1.45 billion chicken wings were distributed to the full stadium, each fan could enjoy 19,863 wings.
Source: National Chicken Council
