Sanderson Farms has reported in a regulatory filing that the supplies of chicken raised without antibiotics is outstripping demand. Antibiotic-free chickens made up an average of 40.5 percent of all fresh U.S. production for the first 10 months of 2017, Sanderson Farms Inc. said in a regulatory filing. However, only 6.4 percent of sales were for products sold as antibiotic-free (ABF), Reuters reports.
Consumers of antibiotic-free chicken, which can cost more to produce, mainly want breast meat and chicken tenders, Sanderson said. Producers are forced to sell other parts of the bird, including wings, against lower-priced meat from conventionally raised chickens.