Chicken prices at U.S. grocery stores have hit record highs and should stay elevated as Tyson Foods and other companies dial back poultry production to boost margins while inflation-weary shoppers buy chicken instead of beef and pork.

Higher chicken prices should improve earnings at top producers Tyson (TSN.N) and Pilgrim’s Pride (PPC.O), but will pinch consumers’ pockets as they try to save money by turning away from higher-end proteins. One index shows chicken producer profit margins at their highest in a year.

U.S. consumption of chicken is expected to exceed 100 pounds per person this year for the first time ever, data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows.

Beef consumption is forecast to drop to its lowest since 2018, as prices climb due to dwindling cattle supplies. Meanwhile, consumer spending cuts have knocked pork consumption to the lowest since 2015.

Arkansas-based Tyson, which sells all three types of meat, had to deal with a glut of chicken after earning massive profits when meat prices soared during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • GlitzyArmrest@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Now seems like a perfect time to squeeze the pennies out of the lower class, according to Tyson.

    Also, Tyson meat is all trash anyway. Too bad other companies are participating. Isn’t this close to price fixing or something?

    • jcit878@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      until bean manufacturers ‘dial back production’ like the chicken people above. this whole thing is fucked, its happening here in australia too, corps simply do not give a fuck and are hitting the cheaper foods with the biggest price rises

    • Ashyr@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      I’m not even a vegetarian, but most of America is really sleeping on tofu. It’s delicious, versatile and affordable. I love cooking with it.

      There are multiple meals I genuinely prefer tofu to the original protein.

      • capital@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Being vegan during the COVID shortages was a breeze. Especially in my area of Texas (you don’t find many vegans there, to say the least).

        “My” shelves were always stocked.

    • knotthatone@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Depends. You do a lot better price-wise with dry beans.

      If you consider drained weight, canned beans are usually about $1 for a 15oz can in my area, which yields about half a pound of drained beans. So, $2/lb

      Chicken is anywhere from $1 to $8/lb but I’ve been averaging about $2/lb. It’s our main protein source and I watch for sales and stock up.

  • tym@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    If it works for OPEC, why wouldn’t it work for others? Regulation of corporations is a no-brainer because they’re sociopathic in nature.

    If corporations really have personhood, why can’t they go to jail for crimes against the community?

    • A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      ally have personhood, why can’t they go to jail for crimes against the community?

      Well, you see, thats because big corpos are run by rich people.

      and only laws that benefit them may be allowed to pass.

  • OldQWERTYbastard@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I knew Tyson was a trash company, but this is blatantly predatory; up there with Nestle. They won’t get any more of my money, but I wish there was an easy way to know which house (store) brands are using Tyson.

  • Mistymtn421@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Their chicken is nasty IMO. I just got Purdue at Kroger and hour ago and it was 2.99 a pound for boneless/skinless. It’s my preferred brand. Butchered well, way more tender.

  • InvaderDJ@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I am glad I stocked up on chicken thighs from my local butcher shop a few weeks ago. Was something like 99 cents/pound. Now I’m seeing them sitting at $1.70/pound.

    But chicken quarters are 89 cents a pound. It’s weird how the pricing works.

    • SCB@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      More desirable cuts cost more. Quarters are in less demand than thighs.

      • FilthyHookerSpit@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        5 pounds of chicken breasts are like 20+ bucks at my local grocery store, chicken thighs are half that price (or lower, I think I got a BOGO for the thighs)

  • Number1SummerJam@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Chicken holocaust enablers. I don’t want to come across as a crazy vegan (I’m not a vegan) but chickens are as intelligent as any other pet, if not more. My chickens recognize words and individual people, and are always figuring out sneaky ways to escape their enclosure. If we all raised our own chickens, there would be a lot less collective suffering on this planet. You only need to refill their feeder once a week, and you can compost their droppings to make pure fertilizer.

    Edit: B…but my tendies!!! All I’m asking is for people to consider eating chicken less often and to consider the suffering they go through as a species. They evolved to live in the jungle, not a cage barely as big as them.