A Study of the Comparative Shelf Life of Wet and Dry-packed Poultry

Abstract INTRODUCTION POULTRY meat has become an increasingly important item in the food budget of many American homes because of its high protein content. During the years immediately prior to World War II, consumption of chicken meat ranged from 18 to 20 pounds per person per year. (U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1951). During the war and the years following, the consumption increased rapidly so that by 1955, farmers in the United States sold more than 6 billion pounds, live weight of poultry (U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1957). This amounts to more than 35 pounds per capita. The rise of the poultry market to a level of significance in the meat industry has not been without profound changes in production and marketing techniques. In terms of production, the trend from earlier years has been towards fewer farms raising chickens and a larger number of chickens per farm. There has been …