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MEAT & POULTRY POULTRY REMAINS TOP OF PECKING ORDER The trend towards chicken continues to grow, with Australians forecast to consume 49.2kg of chicken per person in 2020-21, according to Australian Chicken Meat Federation. This is expected to rise to 51.5kg by 2023. Supermarket retailers are also experiencing this strong demand for poultry, with sales of fresh poultry up nine per cent across fresh meat (packaged and deli), while crumbed poultry sales in the freezer category are up 18.9 per cent in the past MAT vs YA (IRI Market Edge, MAT to 28/6/20, supplied by Baiada). The major shift in category sales has been within the fresh packaged poultry category (up 11.5 per cent) as shoppers decide against deli products (down 5.8 per cent versus a year previously). “Shoppers are starting to shift away from the deli and look to the packaged meat case area for their weekly shop,” Baiada Head of Marketing Yash Gandhi told Retail World. “We expect this will continue to grow as shoppers prefer packaged meats over deli as an alternative. “The pandemic and its associated limitations on eating out are influencing shoppers to renew their interest in home cooking, not only from a health perspective, but also in bonding with their families and showcasing their creations and recipes on social media.” 28 RETAIL WORLD SEP, 2020