“A Chicken in Every Pot!”

Well, we now have a new President of the United States.  This prompted me to explain the age old quote “A Chicken in Every Pot.” This might be one of the most miss assigned quotes in political history.  Four different Presidents have been credited with this quote.  The most associated with this quote is Herbert Hoover in 1928.  Well, Hoover never actually uttered this phrase but the Republican Party did use it in Hoover’s campaign.  They touted it as a period of prosperity that would provide “a chicken in every pot” and “a car in every backyard.” Unfortunately, it didn’t happen— because in 1929 the Great Depression hit and the rest is History. 

The actual phrase has its origin in 17th Century France—— where King Henry IV reputedly wished that each of his peasants would enjoy “a chicken in his pot every Sunday.” In today’s world– the phrase generally means “general welfare or prosperity.”

Well, whether or not you feel we are in a time of prosperity one thing is for sure — people are eating lots of chicken!  Chicken is the most commonly eaten animal in this country.  In fact, this year marks the first time in 100 years that chicken has become more popular than beef.  And, with dietary recommendations that Americans eat less red meat the obsession with chicken –which has lasted more than 30 years already—shows no sign of stopping.  The average American eats more than four times as much chicken today as he or she did in the early 1900’s.  That equates to each American eating an average of over 80#’s of chicken a year! I like it!!

Now, when it comes to total meat consumption (which includes beef-chicken-pork-lamb) the average in America is 200#’s per person.  That may seem like a lot but surprisingly we are not number one.  That honor goes to Australia who consumes 205#’s of meat a year per person!  Now, that’s a lot of “meat on the barbie.”

So, if you are looking for a chicken to put in your pot—look no further than Rogers Poultry.  We have plenty.

Happy New Year!

George Saffarrans, CEO