ATLANTA -- Supermarkets need to give more thought to changes in chicken-consumption patterns, according to Buddy Wray, chief operating officer of Tyson Foods.
"The best thing the supermarket industry can do is find out what the consumers' needs are. I think we've had too many years of footballing chicken as a price leader," Wray told attendees of the 1995 International Poultry Exposition, held here earlier this month.
Tyson, a leading poultry producer, is based in Springdale, Ark.
"As we move to the year 2000 and beyond, we are going to find that most young people who are moving into the purchasing segment won't know how to cut up that whole chicken, don't have the time to do it, and don't have the desire to want to learn how to do it," said Wray. "So we, together with the supermarket industry, must fulfill the needs of what the ultimate consumer is going to be."
Wray characterized the trend in demand for chicken as being driven by nutritional, taste and ease-of-preparation concerns.
"The consumer is in the driver's seat of our industry today," he said. "If we are going to sell more chickens and turkey to consumers, we need to understand the reasons why. Those reasons are convenience, health, taste and value."
To Tyson, the ease-of-preparation movement will be one that will influence its product offerings and provide promotional opportunities with supermarkets, Wray indicated.
"We believe the consumer wants to be more involved in meal preparation. The skillet will become the 'microwave oven' of the 1990s, and consumers are turning to meal kits and chicken products that are recipe-ready," said Wray.
"They want ready-made sauces they can pour over sauteed chicken, or fajita kits that simply require an assembly of ingredients included in one box. This emerging trend is being called 'speed-scratch cooking,' because the consumer believes they are cooking from scratch and are able to do it faster," Wray added.
A related market trend will be integration of chicken as but one element in prepared items, such as heat-and-eat pasta salads. "We are increasing consumption by selling the customer meal solutions even if it means selling them less chicken per serving," he said.
