Americans prefer chicken breast, Indians, the leg; let each side enjoy its preference

Professing preferences for legs or breasts is not wise in these times of political correctness. But the fact is that Indians prefer the former and Americans the latter, at least when it comes to what poultry parts they want on their plates -and chickens yield equal quantities of in-demand breasts and unwanted legs. This anatomical certainty is why KFC has filed a $242,000 suit last week against social media campaigns in China to the effect that chickens used by it are genetically modified to produce six wings and eight legs. That is also why US is reportedly sitting on record inventories of unwanted leg quarters as demand for breast pieces have soared. With South Africa already accusing US of foul play -dumping leg quarters -it was not surprising that tangriloving India chose to play chicken with the US on the issue of allowing imports of its eggs, frozen poultry and live pigs.

But as the World Trade Organization has now deemed the Indian ban on those items “inconsistent“ with international norms, a flood of chicken legs appears imminent. Local Indian industry's feathers not being unduly ruffled by the WTO decision is also expected as frozen poultry apparently still accounts for only 5% of sales. But consumer practices do change and the temptation of cheap American legs may well prove irresistible.