As food prices continue on their ever-increasing trajectory, consumers are opting for more budget-friendly alternatives.

This trend has seen many turn to chicken livers for sustenance, with demand more than doubling in Q1 of 2024.

According to recent data compiled by food distributor Hume International, the demand for chicken livers recorded a sharp increase by the end of March, rising 118.25% year-on-year.

“Simultaneously, demand for budget-friendly chicken carcasses had risen 85.16% and other offal cuts by 25.64%,” says Hume International director Roy Thomas.

Total import volumes of whole birds also nearly tripled compared with the same period in 2023, rising 187.47% year-on-year.

The import volumes of chicken wings and drumsticks products ‘typically used by local manufacturers to supply fast-food chains’ rose to 94.08% and 108.74% year-on-year.

Thomas says chicken is one of the more affordable animal proteins and a staple of South African diets, especially among lower-income families.

“By the sheer size of the shifts that importers are seeing in the local market, it’s clear that families are turning to less expensive cuts and products such as offal to make it through the month.

“Chicken livers, for example, are extremely popular among feeding schemes for schools as a rich and relatively cheap source of protein that they can distribute to those in need.

“But, as the figures demonstrate, imports represent an increasingly essential complement to local supply, as we’re seeing a huge growth in demand due to a tough economic environment.”

He adds that the recent figures show the impact of last year’s bird flu outbreak.

“Millions of chickens had to be culled by the local industry… stimulating demand for imports and resulting in meteoric increases in volumes – proving the point that imports continue to serve a vital role in our food supply chains.”