Page 9 - National Poultry Newspaper

Chicken is a winner all round
Chook Chat Hack kick off
THE world is on track to run short of chicken and eggs by the year 2050.
a limited-edition space chook trucker cap.
Have the university students of Australia found a way to keep scrambled eggs on the plates of the nation?
Poultry Hub Australia director Tamsyn Crow- ley said, “Many people don’t realise that the poultry industry pro- duces efficient, sus- tainable and affordable protein through the production of chicken meat and eggs.”
Poultry Hub, Agri- Futures Chicken Meat Australia and Aus- tralian Eggs offered students enrolled in Australian universities the chance to win over $4,000 worth of prizes if they came up with an answer.
“We’re at the fore- front of global issues such as food security and poverty reduction –pluswegettospenda lot of time with chooks, and who doesn’t love a feathered friend!”
Was the solution in science, agritech, eco- nomics, psychology, engineering, market- ing, design or none of the above?
The Chook Chat Hack kicked off on March 28 and ran for five days.
Students registered for the online Chook Chat Hack, through which they accessed insider information and expert advice to help them hatch a winning idea.
Students registered to take part solo or en- teredasateamofupto five people.
The first 100 regis- tered students received
For more informa- tion, visit poultryhub. org/chook-chat-hack
First prize was $3,000 cash and runners-up received a super deluxe chicken coop.
The Chook Chat Hack competition called for the best idea to ensure the future of the poultry industry.
CHICKEN meat contin- ues to be the most popu- lar form of protein for consumers.
of no use of antibiotics for growth promotion.
of processing.”
Centre for Global Food
meat protein.
“More than 99 percent
chase driver for the av- erage Australian chicken meat shopper, however consumers are paying more attention to on-pack- age labelling information on chicken meat products
New research funded by AgriFutures Austral- ia shows that more than two-thirds of Australian households serve chicken at least twice a week de- spite long held misper- ceptions about the condi- tions in which chickens are raised, and the use of antibiotics and hormones.
The Australian Chicken Meat Foundation execu- tive director Dr Vivien Kite said that these beliefs are simply untrue.
and Resources at the University of Adelaide executive director and lead researcher Professor Wendy Umberger said it was interesting that these misperceptions still exist after such a long period of time.
of chicken meat sold in Australia is born, bred and raised in Australia, giving shoppers confidence that their choice is good for them, their wallet and the environment.”
• Overall, consumers’ main concerns about chicken meat production are similar to 2008, while use of steroids and hor- mones, and use of antibi- otics in chicken meat pro- duction remain top con- cerns, country of origin is of equally high concern to consumers
Many consumers believe hormones and steroids can be used, and that antibiot- ics are used to increase the growth rate of meat chickens – despite the in- troduction of an industry- wide policy 15 years ago
“Our rigorous Austral- ian standards restrict an- tibiotic use only to treat unwell chickens or pre- vent infections if there is a high risk of disease.
“While its concerning that these myths still ex- ist, the research found consumers are generally satisfied with the qual- ity and safety of chicken meat,” Prof Umberger said.
• The gross value of production, or farm gate value, of the chicken meat industry in 2020-21 will be approximately $2.89 billion
“In Australia, meat chickens are not raised in cages and the use of hor- mones and steroids was banned decades ago,” Dr Kite said.
Fast facts
“Also, strict withhold- ing periods exist to en- sure there are no antibi- otics present at the time
“Chicken has the lowest environmental footprint of all meats and is the least expensive form of
• In 2020-21, it is pre- dicted the average Aus- tralian will consume 46.4kg of chicken per year compared to 19.8kg of beef and veal, and 5.5kg of sheep meat
• Consumers generally have a poor understanding of chicken meat produc- tion practices in Australia – especially around ‘high- concern’ issues, including the use of steroids, hor- mones and antibiotics, the sale of overseas-produced chicken in Australia and the use of cages
• Chicken meat contin- ues to be the dominant meat protein consumed by Australians, with over two-thirds of Australian households serving chick- en meat at least twice per week
• Only 17 percent of consumers correctly be- lieve steroids and hor- mones cannot be used, but 40 percent believe they can be
More than 99 percent of chicken meat sold in Australia is born, bred and raised in Australia, giving shoppers confidence that their choice is good for them, their wallet and the environment. Photo: Toa Heftiba
• More consumers in- dicated increasing rather than decreasing their con- sumption of chicken meat, and price and ease of preparation are the main reasons for increasing consumption
For more information on this study, visit agri- futures.com.au/chicken- meat or to understand the facts about chicken meat production in Australia, visit facts.chicken.org.au/
• Price, taste, health and nutrition, country of ori- gin and food safety are the most important drivers of food choices for the av- erage Australian grocery shopper
• 59 percent of consum- ers are not sure if chick- ens produced overseas are sold in Australia
• Chicken meat contin- ues to be the preferred protein for most Austral- ian consumers because of its convenience, value for money and flavour
• Only 18 percent of consumers correctly be- lieve meat chickens can- not be raised in cages, with 50 percent of con- sumers uncertain.
• Price is the main pur-
www.poultrynews.com.au
National Poultry Newspaper, April 2021 – Page 9