Poultry Product Manufacturing Industry Profile

Companies in this industry slaughter and process poultry and small game. Major companies include Koch Foods, Perdue, Pilgrim's Pride, Sanderson Farms, and Tyson Foods (all based in the US); as well as BRF and Copacol (Brazil), Charoen Pokphand Foods (Thailand), Industrias Bachoco (Mexico), and New Hope Liuhe (China).

World population growth and rising demand for protein drive revenue for the poultry industry. In 2024, the world's production of poultry is projected to amount about 140 million metric tons, up from about 115 million metric tons in 2016, according to Statista. The US, China, and Brazil are the largest producers.

The US poultry product manufacturing industry includes about 520 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $70 billion.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by domestic meat consumption trends and export markets. The profitability of individual companies depends on efficient production and distribution. Big companies have economies of scale in production and distribution. Small companies can compete successfully by targeting regional markets or by producing specialized products. The US industry is highly concentrated: the 50 largest companies account for more than 90% of revenue.

Export sales are a significant source of revenue for some US processors. Unlike the US market, which values mainly the white meat of chickens, many export markets value mainly dark meat. Exports of poultry products, mainly to Mexico, Hong Kong, and Canada, account for less ...