Restaurants are doubling down on pork wings as consumers look for more convenient and non-traditional snacks, reports Crain's Chicago Business. The president of Pioneer Meats, credited with inventing the pig-wing category, estimates about 5 to 7 million-lbs. of pork wings are sold a year and predicts sales volumes could double in coming years as their popularity grows. He notes pig wings have twice as much meat as chicken ones, and are easier to eat because they "come clean right off the bone."
A chef at US Foods Holding Corp. attributes the trend to Millennials, adding "pork wings could play an important role" in 2019 because they easily take on flavor profiles such as Korean, Thai, and Chinese. US Foods has been selling pork wings to restaurants for about three years, and while sales are still lower than their chicken counterparts, they're gaining steam.
Domestic production of chicken and pork has hit a record, and prices are falling as a result. Retail prices for boneless chicken breast meat declined for a fourth straight year in 2018 and retail pork chop prices tumbled 17 percent since 2014. "We generally have a lot of protein in the country now," says David Maloni of ArrowStream, a food supply chain consultant. "People are trying to come up with new menu items and put wings around it." Full Story
Related: Functional Foods to Gain Greater Menu Placement; Plant-Based Foods Named Top Menu Trend.
from Industry Operations http://bit.ly/2CGNQWm
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