South Africans are increasingly buying down on chicken products to stretch their money as the soaring cost of living continues to place severe pressure on household budgets.
This is according to the latest import statistics released yesterday and compiled by food distributor, Hume International.
The data showed that total import volumes of whole birds had nearly tripled compared to the same period last year, and the total import volumes of chicken wings and drumsticks-products typically used by local manufacturers to supply fast-food chains, effectively doubled and leapt 94.08% and 108.74% year-on-year, respectively.
Hume International operations and logistics director Roy Thomas said these shifts first served as evidence of the very real impact of the bird flu outbreak in South Africa in the latter months of last year.
Imports have always bridged the gap between local supply and demand, particularly for products such as whole birds, wings, and drumsticks. But millions of chickens had to be culled by the local industry because of the bird flu epidemic, stimulating demand for imports and resulting in meteoric increases in volumes proving the point that imports continue to serve a vital role in our food supply chains, Thomas said.
