“Florida consumers can be confident that the chicken they purchase is not only the quality of poultry they’ve come to expect from Pilgrim’s Pride, but is also sourced and processed locally, ensuring the freshest product,” said Jerry Wilson, Pilgrim’s Pride executive vice president of sales and marketing.
Mr. Wilson expects total volume for the “Fresh from Florida” product to be more than 60 million lbs in the first year. Included in the case ready line will be whole birds, drums, wings, thighs, split breast, boneless skinless breasts and tenders, according to the company. As a company, Pilgrim’s Pride processes approximately 9 billion lbs of poultry on an annual basis.
The “Fresh from Florida” project is a collaborative effort between Pilgrim’s Pride and the Florida Department of Agriculture. In announcing the program, the company cited its job creation benefits since 250 people were hired and a second shift was initiated at the Live Oak plant to process the products for the program.
Florida retailers participating in the program include Albertsons, Publix, Sam’s Club, Winn Dixie and others.