Even with reduced holiday gatherings, consumers still are splurging on center-of-the-plate proteins.

Currently, one of the greatest challenges for chicken processors is keeping up with demand. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, broiler head produced was down 4 percent in the first quarter of 2021, and pounds produced declined 3 percent.

During the pandemic, many independent processors have seen their production demands increase due to changing consumer purchasing patterns as the labor market remains tight. In turn, many smaller processors have added new automated equipment, such as bigger injectors or poly-clip systems, to keep up with production demands. 

Meat and poultry brands and restaurant operators have been moving beyond the classics and incorporating peppers with dynamic flavor profiles. For example, according to the Chicago-based Mintel Menu Insights database guajillo, Calabrian, serrano and ancho chilis have been gaining traction on menus, adding a sweet or smoky edge to menu items. 

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, consumers were purchasing a variety of pre-portioned or portion-controlled meat and poultry products. A shift in lifestyle changes because of the pandemic caused the total poultry and meat portion size category (0- to 6-ounce sizes) to drop 3.8 percent to approximately $654.2 million for the latest 52 weeks ending Feb. 21 in total U.S. multi-outlets, according to IRI Inc., Chicago.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the greatest transformation to employee apparel is the adoption of masks.