OAK BROOK, Ill. – McDonald's Corp. is returning its Chicken Selects chicken breast offering to its menus. The company discontinued Chicken Selects and other items to make room for new products.
The announcement has eased concerns about rising poultry production resulting in an oversupply of chicken.
Steve Kay, in the MEAT+POULTRY 2015 industry outlook, said US poultry processors should have another banner year. Based on figures from the US Department of Agriculture, chicken production in 2015 will be 39.63 billion lbs., up 1.146 billion lbs. from 2014. The average national price of a wholesale broiler will decline marginally to $1.00 to $1.08 per lb. from $1.05 per lb. in 2014. Broiler exports will be 7.400 billion lbs. vs. 7.319 billion lbs. in 2014.
In January, the National Restaurant Association also reported on the trend of rising poultry prices and production. John Barone, a restaurant commodities expert, noted that upswings in poultry prices aren't dragging on demand for poultry among foodservice operators.
“Chicken could result in a bit of a tug of war this year,” Barone said. “There will be a lot more supply, but also a lot more demand. Because of the high cost of beef, anybody who can use chicken for every [limited time offer] out there is going to.”
