Chicken Wings Have Plummeted in Price, Are Cheaper Than They Were Pre-Pandemic
Warning: it's not going to last that long.
In a surprising turn of events, one of your favorite game day dishes is plummeting in price just in time for tailgating season. While pretty much everything else is on the rise right now, chicken wings have seemingly escaped the inflation crisis altogether.
In fact, the poultry favorite is hitting pre-pandemic prices. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the wholesale cost for a pound of wings dropped to $1.68 in July, and that number is expected to fall even lower this month.
According to the agency news, which was first reported by Axios, prices hit a high of $3.25 in May 2021 and were still averaging around $2.68 in January 2022.
Pilgrim's Pride CEO Fabio Sandri told the outlet that the decline in prices can be chalked up to supply and demand. During the pandemic, restaurants dropped wings from menus or substituted them for other cuts of chicken. Even Wingstop introduced bone-in and boneless chicken thighs, which ultimately put less of a strain on producers and allowed them to catch up.
"So with that, we saw a very fast decline in the price of wings to the prices that we have today," Sandri told Food & Wine.
Of course, in the meantime, the trend has spurred price spikes for chicken breasts, tenders, and legs. Surprise, surprise! And the cheap wings aren't going to last either. According to Sandri, with NFL and college football season just around the corner, the demand is about to jump again. Enjoy it while it lasts.