Chicken or Beef – What’s Your Choice?

Chicken may displace beef as the meat of choice in summertime cookout promotions due to tight supplies and high prices for beef, according to the chairman of Tyson Foods Inc., the nation's largest meat company. Beef supplies have been tight and prices high because of less production in the United States. Tyson and other beef companies have relied on Canadian cattle to supply plants while imports of Canadian cattle have been banned since May 2003, when Canada reported its first case of mad cow disease. High gasoline prices are a concern in that they may have vacationing consumers cutting back on food spending. "If you have to put in an extra $10 or $15 in the car, that is $10 or $15 you might not spend at a fast-food restaurant on the way home," he said. Source: http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/050316/food_summit_tyson_chicken_1.html