U.S. shoppers turn chicken into a scarcity

Major U.S. chicken companies are diverting supplies to grocery stores from restaurants to meet red-hot demand as shoppers, unnerved by worries over the new coronavirus, stock their freezers to the brim as they isolate at home.

In addition to redirecting supplies, some producers are adding shifts to slaughterhouse operations. Even so, speed-ups face one constraint: chickens don’t grow any faster during a crisis.

Perdue Farms and Pilgrim’s Pride said they are shifting chicken meat toward supermarket customers, after states ordered restaurants to shut dining rooms. Sanderson Farms plans to process more chicken for retail customers this weekend.

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