Cargill Meats (Thailand), subsidiary of US-based Cargill Group, is ramping up production of ready-to-cook chicken products, and using Thailand as a production hub to export to the ASEAN market.
Thiti Tuangsithtanon, the company’s Managing Director said the firm set up its export-targeted cooked chicken production facility in Thailand 5 decades ago and as the pandemic has receded, it is now set to expand production.
The company introduced the Sun Valley ready-to-cook chicken brand in 2019 and launched PlantEver, a plant-based brand, to the market in 2021 to test demand. Tuangsithtanon said, “The market response is very impressive because both brands can serve the needs of modern consumers looking for good taste, quality and healthy food products. Such positive feedback gives us high confidence and leads us to ramp up the ready-to-cook products.”
He mentioned that the chicken consumption in Thailand amounted to Bt 233 billion (US$6.51 billion) annually with raw chicken contributing 59% of total value, while ready-to-eat (RTE) and ready-to-cook products representing 26% and 15% respectively. Although the consumption of ready-to-cook chicken remains relatively low, the growth rate stands at about 7.8% annually.
Per capita consumption of chicken in Thailand has grown from just 12kg in 2010 to 25kg in 2021, signifying rapidly growing disposable incomes in the country. On the other hand, Tuangsithtanon mentioned that consumption of plant-based products will also rise from Bt 28 billion (US$782 million) in 2019 to Bt 45 billion (US$1.26 billion) in 2024.
In post-pandemic period, as consumers are becoming more health conscious of the type of food they eat, Cargill Meats saw strong potential for both chicken and plant-based protein in Thailand. Cargill Meat’s Sun Valley products offer fresh and cooked chicken products like chicken nuggets, chunky bites and chicken sticks, while PlantEver offers an alternative for health-conscious consumers. Both brands are available via online and offline channels.
Cargill Meats exports cooked chicken to 17 countries in Asia, Europe and North America. It is among the world’s Top 4 exporters of cooked chicken products. The company has 2 factories in Saraburi and Nakhon Ratchasima.
