E13 Professor David Hughes' Keynote Address at Poultry Network Live

This week on the Poultry Network Podcast, host Tom Woolman is joined by editor Jake Davies for a special post-Poultry Network Live edition. Two weeks after the conference at Harper Adams, the pair introduce an exclusive: Professor David “Professor Food” Hughes’ keynote, captured on video by our on-site filmmaker Finn. The episode sets up that talk and why it matters now—then hands the mic to David.

Prof Hughes opens with the big picture: global food prices spiked to levels last seen in 1973, eased a touch, but remain ~35% above pre-COVID – leaving consumers vexed and farmers squeezed as inputs have risen too. 

He cautions against fixating on US tariff noise alone and flags the World Economic Forum’s “green risks” as the structural headwind shaping food over the next decade.

Turning to protein, poultry keeps gaining share globally – up from ~36% of meat consumption in 2013 to ~41% today – mainly at pork and beef’s expense. 

Yet the quiet outperformer is fish, especially salmon and pangasius, reminding poultry and egg sectors that competition isn’t just red meat. 

In the UK, per-capita meat intake is gently drifting down while total volumes are propped up by population growth; we’re eating meat just as often, but there’s less of it in products.

Hughes contrasts US and UK patterns (Americans now eat ~53 kg of poultry per capita vs ~35 kg in the UK), arguing there’s still upside here.

Eggs are “in good shape” with strong retail value growth; prices are high historically but the UK remains cheaper than several Western peers. 

However, income polarisation is redefining retail: a third of UK households are struggling, pushing supermarkets into relentless value positioning and producing “meat for the haves and have-nots” – from £3/kg whole chickens to premium cuts exceeding £50/kg. Eggs show the same split: value mixed-weight lines versus luxury tiers.

On the shop floor, he sees space and theatre shifting away from raw counters toward “meals and meal components.” 

Food retail and foodservice are converging; convenience rules. UK egg merchandising lags, he says – look to Spain and Asia for how to celebrate eggs with range, packaging and presentation. 

Convenience chains like 7-Eleven in Thailand and Japan have become meal-solution hubs for under-40s; expect UK formats (e.g., Co-op) to lean harder into ready-to-go food. 

Gen Z and Gen Alpha – true digital natives – define convenience as “right now,” buying snacks, mini-meals and components rather than ingredients.

That’s a tailwind for chicken (bites, nuggets, protein snacks) and a missed opportunity for eggs: the UK under-indexes on egg snacks compared with Asia and Latin America. 

Add eating occasions (breakfast and “anytime”), borrow global formats (Korean egg drop sandwiches), and market eggs as portable protein. 

He also notes GLP-1 weight-loss medications may nudge demand toward higher-protein, lower-calorie options – good news for poultry and eggs – while sustainability intent remains high but temporarily deprioritised by cost-of-living pressures (younger shoppers still care most).

Finally, Prof Hughes tracks the scale game: four of the world’s ten largest packaged food companies are protein giants (JBS, Tyson, Marfrig, WH Group). JBS is moving into eggs; Cal-Maine alone produces roughly the UK’s total egg volume. 

As value-added products grow, origin becomes opaque – raising a strategic question for UK self-sufficiency if more snacks and components are imported.

His closing message is optimistic but pointed: poultry and eggs win on price, nutrition, family acceptance and convenience – air-fryer-friendly chicken, microwaveable eggs – but the sectors must continually innovate to thrive.