If you’re discovering that your favorite chicken platter is unavailable at your favorite restaurant, blame the weather.
Most broiler chickens, poultry that ends up being served at restaurants, are raised in Texas and other southern states. In March, a winter storm paralyzed much of Texas.
Demand for chicken products didn’t decrease during that time, and haven’t throughout much of the pandemic.
“People kept going through the drive-thru at a lot of those places. So, I just don't think the chicken has seen quite the dip of consumption that some other parts of the industry have seen,” President of the Indiana Poultry Association Rebecca Joniskan said.
Joniskan said grocery stores may be out of certain cuts of chicken due to demand.
The Coronavirus caused a disruption to the supply chain, from the farm to the processing facilities.
“And each of those different steps, if there's some sort of shock to the system presents an opportunity for some delay,” Joniskan said.
Indiana has two facilities that process much of the chicken that is served at fast food restaurants. The state is also number two in egg production.
