UTAH

Will bird flu impact the price of chicken meat?

Jan 27, 2025, 7:00 PM

A backyard chicken walks around. Washington Terrace continues debating on allowing backyard chicken...

A chicken wanders in a Woods Cross backyard on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015. (Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News)

(Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News)

SALT LAKE CITY — We’ve enjoyed relatively steady chicken meat prices despite the bird flu driving egg prices through the roof.  And experts are saying those egg prices are still on the rise while bird flu is still spreading.

Could chicken meat be the next shortage?

Bailee Woolstenhulme, the Public Information Officer with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food says we are much less likely to experience a chicken meat shortage.

Here’s why a shortage of chicken meat due to bird flu isn’t likely

“Eggs have to be sold fresh no matter what,” Woolstenhulme said. “Whereas chicken, you can buy frozen chicken and there’s stores of frozen chicken in warehouses across the country. 

“Due to the fact that we can have stores of frozen chicken makes it less likely that we would have a decline in chicken meat availability,” she said.

There’s good news for egg buyers too, especially those who buy local eggs. 

“Right now, we don’t have any active cases of avian influenza in the state of Utah and all of the poultry producers that did get it in the state have been cleared,” said Woolstenhulme.

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Will bird flu impact the price of chicken meat?