Kiwi consumers are eating more chicken than ever, as global demand for the afforable and versatile protein continues.
Earlier this month, beef mince prices skyrocketed to a record-price of more than $24.40 per kilogram, more than 30% higher than it was just two and a half years ago.
Stats NZ Food Price Index data for July 2026 showed chicken breast, at $14.80 per kilogram, was one of the most affordable of all meats available, and sales continue to rise in almost every market internationally as global appetite outpaced both pork and beef.
Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand (PIANZ) executive director Fiona MacMillan told BNZ Business Breakfast that New Zealanders had been increasingly choosing chicken as a more affordable option.
"Chicken is the most popular meat here in New Zealand.
"Actually, about half the meat that Kiwis eat is chicken, and we're certainly seeing that go up over time.
She said Kiwis eat around 41kg - 42kg of chicken each per year — equivalent to around 20 birds per person.
"When we started taking notes of that in 2008, that figure was more like 35kg, so definitely going up over time," she said.
MacMillan explained that the protein was reliable, affordable and versatile.
"It's a favourite. It's a go-to. But also affordability is key. And certainly lately, we've seen price rises in other types of protein, whereas chicken is really holding on as an affordable protein."
She said poultry farms across Aotearoa were benefitting from the boom, but there were some industry threats that needed to be considered.
"I think one of the big things we're anticipating, and concerned about, understandably, is the arrival of the H5N1 variety of bird flu. We're looking out for what that could do because it has had an impact in poultry farming across the world.
She said New Zealand has tried "really hard to keep it out of poultry farms".
"Farms here have had a long time to prepare, so they've really upped their biosecurity. There's been a huge focus on that," MacMillan said.
"Part of the reason for that is obviously protecting their livelihoods. But we know as an industry, it's really important to protect that food supply chain for New Zealand because when you do represent half the meat that Kiwis eat, you want to make sure they can continue to get that meat."
The chicken takeover had even infiltrated large chains such as McDonald's, which has opted to invest heavily in developing and improving chicken products as consumer demand grows.
At a conference in 2024, the the company said: "We’re excited about the significant opportunity we see within our chicken portfolio and see the potential to add another point of chicken market share by the end of 2026."
According to US Department of Agriculture data, Americans have been eating more chicken than beef for the past 16 years due to health concerns tied to the consumption of red meat and higher beef prices.
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