Supermarket Perimeter - March 2023 - 39

Chicken
wings
By Andy Nelson
WING SALES AT GROCERY DELI/PREPARED HAD ALREADY BEEN
GROWING, thanks to Americans' busy schedules and pandemic-related
trends in the direction of convenience and prepared foods, said Tom
Bell, vice president of prepared foods sales for Oakwood, Ga.-based
Wayne-Sanderson Farms.
Then came inflation, which made demand jump even more.
" The market for wings is hotter than ever, " Bell said. " Wing bars are
expanding, and our product line fits well into the category. "
The average person eats about 290 wings a year, Bell said. And Super
Bowl consumption jumped from $1.4 billion in 2022 to $1.5 billion
in 2023.
Wings are a huge, ever-growing success for a number of reasons,
Bell said:
* Great flavor;
* Flexible/adaptable to many different seasonings and prep methods;
* Easy to prep and serve: and
* They " travel well " for mobile lifestyles/activities, e.g. sports events,
tailgates and picnics.
Whether they're breaded, unbreaded, steamed or marinated, wings
are doing well in all formats, and retail grocery is no exception, Bell said.
And with that growth has come more experimentation.
" Flavors and tastes are changing-beyond buffalo, lemon-pepper and
parmesan. Chefs and consumers are taking great liberties with wings,
opting for bold flavors like habanero/pineapple, along with cultural
fusion - from Asian, Cali-Baja, Korean and Thai influences, with sweethot
flavors leading the pack. "
The new chicken wing production line that Wayne-Sanderson rolled
out in 2022 has given the company 50 million pounds of new capacity,
Bell said.
And the use of robotics in packout has helped reduce its labor
challenges.
" The state-of-the-art equipment allows for consistent, high quality
products that our customers require and deserve, " Bell said.
The new production line makes it easier than ever, he added, for WayneSanderson
to provide custom wing products for its customers as well as
its own WSF Flyers, Buffaloos and - new to the mix - Flying Saucers.
Several industry trends that Wayne-Sanderson is keeping on top of
are helping to ensure the success of deli/prepared programs, Bell said.
" The use of fully cooked wings has allowed a quicker recon time
in the back of house as well and hot deli. Steam cooking locks in the
moisture often missing in a fresh wing, and our use of only fresh wings
in our operation helps to reduce black bone occurrences after cooking. "
Another aspect of its wing division that has helped Wayne-Sanderson
deliver top quality its customers is the company's Customer Innovation
Center, Bell said.
Paired with its pilot plant and new dedicated production lines, the
Customer Innovation Center lets Wayne-Sanderson take ideas and
concepts from a customer ideation session right into pilot production
and then to scale.
And the merger of Wayne Farms and Sanderson Farms has itself
been a boon for meeting the ever-growing demand for wings at retail,
Bell said.
" We're a larger company now with more resources, able to bring
more to the table for customers in terms of volumes, variety and value. "
The real Super Bowl champ
Kansas City is famous for barbecue, Philadelphia for cheesesteaks.
But the cities whose teams clashed in this year's Super Bowl still can't
compete with the hands-on Big Game champion: chicken wings.
About 1.45 billion wings were eaten during Super Bowl weekend,
according to the National Chicken Council's annual estimate. That's 2%
- or 84 million wings - more than last year.
There are several reasons for the uptick, said National Chicken
Council spokesperson Tom Super.
" The two main reasons are more favorable prices and more people
getting back to normal and gathering for the Big Game, whether at
home or at a bar/restaurant, " Super said. " While Americans are seeing
inflation impact almost every part of their lives, both wholesale and
retail wing prices are down double digits from a year ago, according to
USDA, and consumers are seeing a lot more features and promotions. "
There were a lot of great story lines heading into this year's game,
Super added.
supermarketperimeter.com
MARCH 2023 - 39
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Supermarket Perimeter - March 2023

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