Portion control is becoming more prominent as the size of meat and poultry carcasses expand and consumers seek more manageable and economical protein selections.
When it comes to the development and merchandising of meat and poultry, big is not necessarily better. As protein producers increase the size of livestock to reap greater revenues from larger carcasses, retailers and shoppers must contend with larger cuts which in many instances carry higher price tags and affect the taste and visual appeal of products.
In the last 20 years, the average carcass weight has frequently increased in the double digits for pork annually and in the triple digits for beef, with today’s frequent 6- to 8-ounce chicken breast portions also much larger than a decade ago, says Dale Woerner, assistant professor at the Center for Meat Safety and Quality in the Department of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University, in Fort Collins.