Poultry consumption has been on the rise during the last few decades, and not a subtle one at that. According to certain estimates, between 1990 and 2020, the volume increased by almost 100M metric tons worldwide.
Experts predict that by 2030, we’ll be eating a whopping 151.83 metric kilotons of poultry a year. Currently, the US is among the top three contributors to such astonishing amounts, largely thanks to the growing demand for chicken.
So, let’s see exactly how much of this meat Americans consume.
How Much Chicken Does the Average American Eat?
Broiler chicken seems to be Americans‘ favorite type of meat, even more so than beef or pork. Statista estimates that in 2020, an average US citizen consumed no less than 96.4 lbs of broiler chicken and is likely to increase the amount to 101 lbs in the following decade.
On the other hand, other kinds of chicken are eaten very rarely or hardly at all, yearly reaching a mere 1.4 lbs per capita. Their consumption is forecasted to stagnate in the following years as well, despite the evident expansion of the US chicken industry.
Other Intriguing Stats on Chicken Consumption in the US
1. Approximately 8 billion chickens are eaten in the US every year.
(Vox, Statista)
In other words, American consumers eat over 21.9M chickens a day! This number may take some readers by surprise. However, if we consider that the US is the world‘s greatest producer of broiler meat, it all adds up.
In 2021, about 20.4M metric tons of broiler chicken were produced in this country. This is almost 6M more than in China, which ranked second.
2. This year, chicken meat consumption in the US is projected to reach 98.3 lbs per capita.
(National Chicken Council)
According to National Chicken Council’s official data, this is an astonishing increase of over 70 lbs compared to 1960. The above-given amount of 98.3 lbs includes all kinds of chicken meat, broiler meat making up the largest majority of it — 96.8 lbs.
In the previous sixty years, the consumption of other sorts of chicken has been dropping. But even back then, it wasn’t that high to begin with, reaching no more than 4.4 lbs per person.
3. Americans were projected to eat an astonishing 1.4 billion chicken wings and drumsticks during the 2022 Super Bowl.
(National Chicken Council)
Interestingly, chicken wings are the most consumed meat in the US during the Super Bowl. In fact, this food is the most popular in almost every American state except for one — Maine, where people seem to prefer lobster on SB Sundays.
4. One of the most popular chicken restaurants in America, KFC, had 3,943 units in 2020.
(Daily Mail, Statista)
This number makes it the greatest chicken restaurant chain in the country. It’s estimated that each year, farmers supply KFC with 23 million chickens.
5. Up to nearly 20% percent of the fresh chicken that reaches US stores ends up wasted.
(Statista)
In other words, the average chicken consumption per person could be about one-fifth higher if it wasn’t for spoilage and waste. Stats show that approximately 4% of the products are wasted at the retail level and as much as 15% in consumers‘ kitchens.
6. The US produced about 9.2 billion chickens in 2021.
(National Chicken Council)
Moreover, the country exports 17% of its broiler chicken, making it the world’s second greatest exporter. The main importers of the US broiler meat in 2021 were China, Mexico, Cuba, and Angola.
Conclusion
The US chicken industry keeps expanding at an astonishing rate. However, we’re also aware that consumers have been raising various moral, ecological, and health questions regarding intensive animal farming.
Because of these dilemmas, more and more people are becoming vegetarians or even embracing fully vegan diets. This is perhaps one of the greatest obstacles the meat industry will be facing in the future.
