New Zealand’s largest poultry supplier Tegel is raising chicken prices from mid-August.
The roughly 10% price rise is a result of pressures on the industry, including increases in the cost of labour, feed and fuel impacting supply chain costs.
“Kiwis have been enjoying low chicken prices since 2014 when chicken breast was $17 per kilogram, compared to as low as $7 today,” said Tegel’s general manager of sales Yvonne Van Nes.
“This is the first across-the-board increase we have done in some time and it reflects the current cost of raising a chicken and distributing it to our network.
“Although people may see the prices of whole chicken and chicken products go up later in the year once the increase kicks in, Tegel chicken will continue to be a reasonably priced meal option for Kiwi families,” said Van Nes.
“Chicken was once a luxury protein but over time it has become the most affordable of the meat proteins. Not surprisingly, New Zealanders are now eating more chicken than ever before.”
Statistics show the consumption of red meat is dropping in New Zealand while the per capita consumption of poultry grows - up 18% in the 10 years to 2010, and then up by another whopping 33% in the 10 years to 2020.
Tegel puts the ongoing popularity of chicken down to a number of key factors – it’s low in fat and high in protein, there’s a product suitable for every budget, it can be used in a huge range of recipes, and, of course, tastes utterly delicious. Plus, Tegel continues to innovate, with its team constantly cooking up exciting new products and meal ideas.
