Amid Coronavirus Crisis, US Shoppers Turn Chicken Into A Scarcity

Major US chicken companies are diverting supplies to grocery stores from restaurants to meet red-hot demand as shoppers, unnerved by worries over the new coronavirus, stock their freezers to the brim as they isolate at home.

In addition to redirecting supplies, some producers are adding shifts to slaughterhouse operations. Even so, speed-ups face one constraint: chickens don’t grow any faster during a crisis.

Inventories of frozen chicken reached a record high 957.5 million pounds this year, according to the US. Department of Agriculture.

ESM