Document type: article published in Libération
Author: Olivier Monod
Preview: Cheaper, healthier than red meat and with a lower environmental impact, sales of chicken meat and eggs are on the rise. But these positive figures are driven by sectors that show less concern for animal welfare, and are not so very "green". Chicken rules the roast. In the face of inflation, an increase in vegetarianism and a growing awareness of the environmental impact of livestock farming, one meat is holding its own, with rising consumption figures: chicken. In 2023, sales were up by 3.7%, while total meat consumption in France - including poultry - was down by 1.4%, compared to 2022. The French appetite for this product, unhampered by religious restrictions, is a core trend.
In the course of 2021, French people consumed 28.3 kg of chicken per person, compared with 21.4 kg in 2000. This represents an increase of 32%, whereas total meat consumption - including poultry - fell by 6%. The same pattern is seen in egg sales worldwide. Forecasts are good, and French producers don't want to miss out. By 2030, no fewer than 700 hen houses are projected to have sprung up all over the country: Of these, 300 will produce eggs and 400 will supply thighs, fillets and wings.
How do we eat our chicken?
Those consumers who prefer Red Label, free-range eggs and organic produce are not representative of the chicken market. In fact, while more than half of all whole chickens purchased are either organic or red label, retail purchases are in the minority. Thus, "organic chicken accounts for 1% of French chicken consumption, red label for 9%, and other certifications for 3%", as Vincent Chatellier, a research engineer at Inrae specializing in agricultural economics, pointed out in Libé at the beginning of September. The remainder of chickens consumed are so-called 'standard chickens'. "They live for around 40 days, fatten four times faster than in 1950, and are crammed together with, on average, 20,000 birds per building and no access to the outside," accuses Brigitte Gothière, co-founder of the L214 Association. Most poultry protein is consumed in "commercial catering" (RHD) or in processed food products. (...)
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