A huge export market exists for chicken feet in China
Believe it or not, chicken feet may be the largest export to come out of Britain this year. It seems that there has been a large amount of growth in the export industry of chicken feet with a high demand coming from China. Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, stated after trade talks with China during the past week that British poultry producers should look into exporting chicken feet to China.
This is due to the fact that in China chickens are considered a delicacy that can be served as a bar snack, in hot soup, or simply as cold feet. Paterson saw that the chicken feet were on central display in A Shanghai Tesco supermarket which he called surprising, but something that is worth taking a second look at.
According to Paterson, the Tesco supermarket manager stated that he has to export them in from Brazil because he cannot get enough of the chicken feet locally. Given the fact that millions of chicken feet are wasted in the UK, Paterson immediately told the store manager about a Northern Ireland poultry producer who may be able to help him out.
Chicken feet are highly sought after in China because they have a very unique texture and are very versatile. In Hong Kong they tend to be deep fried and then served in a bean sauce whereas many bars simply marinate them in soy sauce to create a snack.
Over 850 million chickens are processed in Britain on a yearly basis and most of the feet are turned into pet food along with some of the other waste products such as livers, heads, and gizzards. However, now it is possible that Britain could receive a license to trade chicken feet with China opening up an entirely new industry.
