A significant surplus of dark meat chicken in cold storage prompted the US Department of Agriculture's Agriculture Marketing Service to announce a special purchase plan for the chicken products.
Chicken leg quarters on June 30, 2013, had reached 138.7 million lbs., a 157 percent increase over inventory a year ago, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Mike Brown, president of the National Chicken Council, wrote a letter to US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting a special purchase program for dark meat chicken before Sept. 12, the end of the fiscal year.
“While the over-supply of dark meat is a burden to producers/processors, it is, at the same time, an excellent opportunity to provide high-quality, wholesome protein to recipients who may not be economically able to benefit from this product,” Brown said. “Such a timely purchase program will prove to be a most worthwhile measure to help balance the white meat/dark meat situation for the chicken market.”
USDA said the solicitation will be issued for deliveries from Nov. 1, 2013, through Feb. 28, 2014.
Chicken leg quarters on June 30, 2013, had reached 138.7 million lbs., a 157 percent increase over inventory a year ago, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Mike Brown, president of the National Chicken Council, wrote a letter to US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack requesting a special purchase program for dark meat chicken before Sept. 12, the end of the fiscal year.
“While the over-supply of dark meat is a burden to producers/processors, it is, at the same time, an excellent opportunity to provide high-quality, wholesome protein to recipients who may not be economically able to benefit from this product,” Brown said. “Such a timely purchase program will prove to be a most worthwhile measure to help balance the white meat/dark meat situation for the chicken market.”
USDA said the solicitation will be issued for deliveries from Nov. 1, 2013, through Feb. 28, 2014.
