Building Resilience Through Chicken Procurement

 

Chicken is a key ingredient in American kitchens. According to the National Chicken Council, “Americans consume more chicken (young meat chicken and fowl) than anyone else in the world – 100.6 pounds per capita in 2022.” As the number one protein consumed in the country, it’s an essential category to keep in stock at your hospitality operation’s eateries. The problem is that supply chain disruptions do occur, and a weak sourcing strategy could leave you struggling with chicken procurement.

 

Fortifying Your Supply Chain Strategy

You don’t want to wait until disruptions occur to build a strong sourcing strategy. Now is the time to make changes that will protect your business from slowdowns and outages. The best way to make sure chicken is always accessible? Keeping your supplier options open.

 

Foodbuy Hospitality now offers supply chain redundancy through its chicken programs. Now, Members can choose from five chicken programs, depending on product needs and preferences. This redundancy also means that program switches are easier for Members. You can still take advantage of Foodbuy’s buying power, even when swapping to a new chicken supplier.

 

Determining Your Ideal SKU

Enhancing your business’s resilience against poultry sourcing challenges involves opting for versatile stock-keeping units (SKUs) suitable for various menu items. While prioritizing a smaller selection of SKUs might appear counterintuitive, the emphasis lies in their adaptability. Selecting a chicken variety that accommodates multiple culinary applications ensures continuity in operations, mitigating risks associated with potential shortages of specialized SKUs.

 

While you may favor specific seasonings or breading for dishes such as fajitas and chicken tenders, maintaining a consistent supply of a fundamental chicken product allows for seamless substitutions in case of supply chain disruptions affecting specific items.

Focus on the Data

If you’re planning to update your poultry supplying strategy, you first want to make sure that an update would be economical. Sourcing experts recommend opting into a market basket when making a switch. A market basket is a report that compares your current product spend with your potential spend after a supplier or program switch. It can also be used when partnering with a group purchasing organization.

 

Foodbuy Hospitality Members can request market baskets during RFPs to make sure they’re making informed decisions on programs. Reach out to your account manager now to get started.