Nearly a third of consumers are going online to get recipes and other information about chicken, according to a new survey conducted for the National Chicken Council. Thirty percent of consumers reported using the Internet in the last month to find recipes, coupons, information, news, and opinions about chicken, the survey showed.
“The Internet is the first-choice source of information for many consumers today,” said NCC President Mike Brown. “The industry must continue to reach out to consumers through online sources to provide useful and reliable information of all kinds.”
The trend is especially pronounced among younger consumers, with 44 percent of those aged 18 to 34–the so-called “millennials”–going online in a one-month period in search of information about chicken. People in this group also had the highest number of Internet searches, with an average of 12.8 times per person when those who reported no Internet usage at all were excluded.
Those aged 35 to 44 had the net highest level of Internet usage, with 38 percent reporting that they went online at least once during the survey period, with an average of 6.4 uses when non-users were excluded. Some 20 percent of those aged 45 to 64 went online to look for information about chicken, while 17 percent of those aged 65 and over did so.
NCC maintains a consumer—oriented website at www.eatchicken.com as well as a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/chickenrecipe) and a Twitter feed (@chickenFTW). Many of the member companies of NCC also offer recipes and other consumer information on their company websites.
Gary Thornton of WATT and David Nelson of Rabobank presented the survey findings.
The survey results were announced at the Chicken Marketing Seminar held this week by the National Chicken Council and the National Poultry and Food Distributors Association at the Resort at Squaw Creek, Olympic Village, California. The NCC survey was sponsored by WATT PoultryUSA magazine and Givaudan Flavors Company and conducted by PKS Research Partners. Some 1,050 households were contacted in early June. Findings were reported by Gary Thornton, content director of WATT, and David Nelson, managing director of Rabobank International.
Other highlights of the survey included:
- A salad with chicken is the new item consumers would most like to see offered at fast-food or casual dining restaurants. Some 56 percent of respondents said they would be most likely to purchase a salad with chicken, while 55 percent of respondents said they would most likely purchase a new chicken item made with white meat only if it was offered. Other options supported by half the respondents or more include a chicken item “more robust in flavor” (52 percent) and “a sandwich” (51 percent).
- Consumption of chicken is holding steady, with consumers saying they ate chicken an average 5.7 times in the two weeks before the survey was conducted. That was the same level as reported in 2010 and a slight increase from the average of previous years.
- Members of the “millennial generation” eat chicken more often than those in any other age category, with an average of 6.9 occasions in the two-week period. They are also more likely to get chicken from a restaurant than older consumers.
“Chicken fits the busy lifestyle of younger people,” said Bill Roenigk, NCC’s senior vice president and chief economist.
