Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

Why chicken over beef? Food fads come and go with price, habits and ... TikTok

Sep 5, 2023
Social media trends can inspire people to try out new ingredients. But it’s not like the food industry can immediately respond to every new protein craze.
Tyson Foods is closing some processing plants, in part because the company overestimated Americans’ appetite for chicken.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Salmonella testing can be a slow process. These researchers want to change that.

Aug 29, 2023
A research team from multiple universities is developing technology that can detect salmonella contamination in a matter of minutes. They aim to take the results from sensors and pair them with other data to strengthen the safety and resilience of the supply of chicken.
University of Missouri Ph.D. student Mai Abuhelwa demonstrates how one of the new sensors detects salmonella contamination on July 28, 2023. This sensor uses a laser and fiber optic cables to sense small concentrations of the bacteria.
Eric Schmid/Harvest Public Media

Supply chain issues mean hot chicken business in Nashville sometimes has to wing it

Sep 20, 2022
Bird flu, rising costs and other supply chain issues make it harder for one restaurant to get the right parts of the bird for the city's signature dish.
Bolton's manager Dollye Mathews says the restaurant has had trouble getting the right cuts of meat for months. That, plus inflation, has caused the business to raise prices on customers.
Alexis Marshall/WPLN

When it comes to chicken-processing plants, some communities see jobs where others see environmental concerns

Jun 14, 2018
A suburban community in Kansas turns away from the prospect of a chicken processing plant, while a rural town sees the possibility it would bring new jobs.
Shops and restaurants line one of Concordia’s main streets in downtown.
Brian Grimmett for Marketplace

Tariff jitters are rippling through the ag economy

Apr 5, 2018
Besides causing "extreme nervousness," the Ozark Mountain Poultry CEO says the tariff threats haven't impacted the market yet.
A potential trade war has implications for the poultry industry.
AHMAD ZAMRONI/AFP/Getty Images

Your grocer really wants you to have chicken tonight

Jan 5, 2018
At a lot of markets, the rotisserie bird is the hottest-selling item, pun intended.
Grocers are going to some lengths to keep the price of rotisserie chickens down.
Cate Gillon/Getty Images

Buffalo Wild Wings may give Arby's owner a chicken wing dilemma

Nov 28, 2017
Demand is up, but supply is getting expensive.
Chicken wings are so popular now that wholesale prices rose almost 20% last year.
PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Move over, meat. Tyson Foods' CEO is excited about plant proteins.

Tom Hayes says the company is looking at affordable, sustainable options that consumers want.
Leon Neal/Getty Images

There's a whole lot of love for Howlin' Ray's Nashville-style hot chicken in LA

Jul 18, 2017
Copy cats are popping up, and chef Johnny Zone promotes them. "That means we're doing something right."
Photo courtesy of Howlin' Ray's

Chicken farmer ramps up biosecurity measures

Mar 8, 2017
Ed Fryar says he's 'watchful' but not worried about the recent avian flu outbreak in Tennessee.
A strain of bird flu was detected in a chicken farm in Tennessee earlier this week, causing worry over the possibility of an avian influenza outbreak.
PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images