Chicken livers and offal on the rise as SA shoppers buy down

Loading player...
GUEST - Roy Thomas, Operations and Logistics Director at Hume International

Latest import statistics show that South Africans are increasingly buying down on chicken products to stretch their pennies, as soaring costs of living place severe pressure on household budgets. According to data for the first quarter of 2024 compiled by food distributer Hume International, total import volumes of whole birds had nearly tripled compared to the same period in 2023, rising 187.47% year-on-year.
Likewise, total import volumes of chicken wings and drumsticks – products typically used by local manufacturers to supply fast-food chains – had leapt 94.08% and 108.74% year-on-year, effectively doubling. Meanwhile, demand for chicken livers had more than doubled by the end of March, rising 118.25% year-on-year. Simultaneously, demand for budget-friendly chicken carcasses had risen 85.16% year-on-year, and other offal cuts by 25.64%
3 Jul 2024 1PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

INSIDE YOUR BUSINESS: Transformation fund: opportunity or threat for SMEs?

The government is preparing to launch a revamped Transformation Fund as early as next week, rewriting incentives that have shaped corporate behaviour for more than two decades. Joining Gugulethu today is Jamell Khan from Unconventional CA (UCA), who has been vocal about the risks of centralising corporate transformation funds.
28 Jan 1PM 12 min

SAFDA’s plan to rescue Tongaat-Hulett and protect farmers’ livelihoods

South Africa’s sugar industry faces a critical moment as Tongaat-Hulett, one of the country’s oldest and most prominent sugar producers, confronts provisional liquidation despite ongoing efforts to stabilise the business. South African Farmers’ Development Association (SAFDA), led by Chairperson Dr Siyabonga Madlala, has stepped in to assure farmers and employees…
19 Feb 2PM 17 min

South African professionals are facing a new era of stress

South African professionals are facing a new era of stress, one that is no longer confined to busy periods or isolated pressures but embedded in the fabric of everyday life. The 2025 Profmed Stress Index released on Thursday reveals a workforce grappling with financial strain, toxic workplace cultures, systemic instability…
19 Feb 2PM 11 min