A big blow to consumers of chicken wings

The increase in the prices of chicken wings in the last days aroused the concern of commercial chains of this food and among lovers of this piece of chicken, since the kilo is offered up to 62 pesos, certainly a high cost compared to last year.

And it is that the current average price reverses that recorded in 2020, because in the sixth month of that year, the kilo of wings stood at 49.62 pesos, which marks an increase of up to 25 % nowadays.

According to the executive chairman of the National Union of Poultry Farmers (UNA), Arturo Calderón, the cause of this high price is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease that continues to reduce the lives and economies of millions of people.

“We have to take into account that the chicken only has two wings and no more chicken can be produced because the rest of the pieces (like the breast and thighs) did not raise their demand to the same level. My expectation is that the markets will eventually find their balance, ”reiterated the president of the UNA in an interview with a national media.

According to some restaurant chains, The prices of this product, accepted by hundreds of people, are due to the lack of supply of this protein in the world, and as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And it is that at the beginning of the year, the wave of coronavirus forced the authorities to order the closure of restaurants, hotels, cinemas, among others. In this way, the situation favored the home food ordering activity, with the wings being the most requested by the public.

“The demand for this product is so brutal due to the pandemic that there is no capacity on the planet to cover this situation,” Gustavo Barraza Miller, director of operations of Grupo HEMA, told El Financiero newspaper.

NEW OPTIONS

Because of this problem, restaurateurs will have to think of new strategies. From now on, what the catering industries of these foods is to take a turn in the proposals of its card and try to offer better prices.

That is to say, they will seek to do menus and prices in others products like burgers and potatoes, in order to maintain profits despite the rising costs of this part of the chicken.

Others will even look for more options, like trying other pieces of chicken or pork ribs.

According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), in June the cost of the leg and thigh increased by 11.9% per year. As for chicken breast, it has seen an annual increase of up to 17.9%.

For its part, it must be remembered that according to the National Union of Poultry Farmers, chicken and eggs have become the favorites of 2020, because in the face of declining incomes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the consumption of expensive proteins has weakened and the demand for the more accessible has increased, according to the Agricultural Markets Group Consultant (GCMA).

Juan Carlos Anaya, Director General of the GCMA, stressed that these products are considered “the most democratic proteins”, since they are consumed at all economic levels.

Last year, the meat which occupied the first place of the apparent consumption was chicken, with 4 million 408 000 tonnes, followed by pork, with 2 million 468 000 tonnes. Meanwhile, beef took third place, at 1,945,000 metric tonnes.

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