Subscribe   Share

Go Green

Chicken:  An Environmentally Friendlier Protein

According to National Restaurant Association research, environmentally sustainable practices are increasingly important to today’s consumers. The Association’s 2009 Restaurant Industry Forecast reported that 44 percent of consumers say they are likely to make a restaurant choice based on a restaurant’s efforts to conserve energy and water, and six out of 10 say they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers food that was grown in an organic or environmentally friendly way.

That’s good news for operators menuing chicken.  In addition to its good value and healthful nutrition profile, the chicken’s efficiency in converting feed into meat – just 2 pounds of feed to raise 1 pound of live chicken – results in a smaller environmental “footprint” than other animal proteins. For comparison, it takes 8 pounds of feed for 1 pound of beef on the hoof and 4 pounds of feed for 1 pound of pork. This efficiency has been achieved through traditional breeding for genetic improvement, by better matching feed to the birds’ nutritional needs at each stage of their development, and by providing optimal growing conditions in climate-controlled poultry houses.

For more information on Perdue’s Environmental Stewardship activities, please visit Perdue.com.

Source: Perdue Foodservice, August 2009