Latin America produces 31.5 million tons of chicken meat and accounts for 29.4% of world production.
Producers, workers, technicians, companies, sector entities, and consumers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean celebrate Latin American Chicken Day, a date dedicated to recognizing the contribution of poultry farming to food security, job creation, economic development, and supply in the region.
Celebrated annually on the first Friday of July, the date brings together initiatives in various countries to highlight the role of the poultry industry in food production and in Latin American social and economic development.
The consolidated data in the 2026 Chicken Meat Report, prepared by the Latin American Chicken Institute (ILP), linked to the Latin American Poultry Association (ALA), demonstrate the scale achieved by the sector.
In 2025, Latin America and the Caribbean produced 31.5 million tons of chicken meat, a volume equivalent to 57.6% of all production in the Americas and 29.4% of world production .
In practice, almost three out of every ten kilograms of chicken meat produced on the planet originate in Latin America and the Caribbean .
The growth trajectory also highlights the responsiveness of the regional poultry industry. Between 2010 and 2025, production increased by 40.4%, rising from 22.5 million to 31.5 million tons .
This performance surpassed the growth recorded worldwide (35.8%) and in the Americas as a whole (36.1%).
The region also occupies a strategic position in international trade. In 2025, Latin American exports reached approximately 5.74 million tons, equivalent to 39.4% of world exports and 64.6% of all shipments made by the Americas.
Production geared towards feeding the region itself
Although Latin America is one of the world’s main exporters of chicken meat, most of the production remains in regional markets.
In 2025, consumption reached 27.4 million tons, with an average of approximately 41 kilograms per capita per year.
The indicators demonstrate the daily presence of chicken meat in the diet of Latin Americans and reinforce its role as a high-quality, accessible, versatile protein available to different consumer profiles.
“Latin American Chicken Day is an opportunity to recognize the thousands of families who work daily in this production chain, facing great challenges, and making it possible for hundreds of millions of people to have access to a quality protein, fundamental for food security. Today we celebrate the food, but mainly those who produce it and all the social and economic contribution generated by this activity,” says Maria del Rosario Penedo de Falla, president of ALA.
From producer to table
Behind every plate of chicken lies a vast network comprised of producers, farm workers, veterinarians, technicians, nutrition specialists, agribusiness employees, distributors, retailers, and professionals from various fields.
The coordinated action of this chain makes it possible to maintain the supply of markets, expand access to food, and generate opportunities in rural and urban communities.
Therefore, the celebration highlights not only the qualities of the product, but also the importance of all the professionals who work daily to ensure that chicken meat reaches Latin American homes with quality, safety, and regularity.
Outlook for the sector
The report’s findings indicate that chicken meat will continue to occupy a central position in the regional food system.
Production growth above the world average, high domestic consumption, and significant participation in international trade demonstrate the sector’s ability to simultaneously meet the needs of the region’s population and the demands of other markets.
In the coming years, the challenge will be to sustain this expansion with gains in productivity, sanitation, biosecurity, innovation, efficiency in the use of resources, and the ability to adapt to new consumer demands.
Strengthening local production will also be crucial to increasing food availability and reducing vulnerabilities in a region marked by diverse economic, social, and productive realities.
Earlier egg introduction linked to significant fall in infant egg allergy
Population-level research suggests updated infant feeding advice is helping to reduce one of the most common childhood food allergies
Introducing eggs earlier in infancy may reduce the risk of egg allergy, according to a major new Australian study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
Researchers found that the prevalence of egg allergy in one-year-old infants fell significantly following the introduction of infant feeding guidelines recommending earlier egg introduction.
Egg allergy is one of the most common food allergies in young children, affecting around 2% in the UK, according to the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Most cases of egg allergy, however, are outgrown by adulthood.
The study compared more than 7,200 infants recruited through routine immunisation clinics in Melbourne before and after national allergy prevention guidelines were updated to encourage earlier introduction of eggs into babies’ diets.
Researchers found that egg allergy prevalence fell from 9.2% between 2007 and 2011 to 7.6% between 2018 and 2019, even after accounting for changes in known allergy risk factors.
The findings were more striking among babies with early eczema, a group known to be at particularly high risk of food allergy. In these infants, egg allergy prevalence decreased from 35% to 22%, representing a reduction of more than one-third.
The change coincided with a shift in feeding practices, with the average age at which babies were first introduced to egg falling from eight months to six months.
Commenting on the findings, Bridget Halnan, Senior Lecturer in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing at Anglia Ruskin University and Fellow of the Institute of Health Visiting, said: “This study provides encouraging evidence that changes to infant feeding guidance can make a real difference.
“For many years, parents in different countries were advised to delay introducing foods such as eggs because of concerns about allergy, but the evidence has shifted considerably. We now know that introducing eggs from around six months of age, alongside other complementary foods, can help prevent egg allergy developing in the first place.
“Eggs are a nutrient-rich food that can form part of a healthy diet from infanthood into old age, providing essential nutrients for mental and physical development, such as high-quality protein, choline, iodine, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Whether eggs are scrambled, soft boiled or made into a little omelette, official advice is to choose eggs with the British Lion mark as they are safe for babies, including when lightly cooked.
“Health visitors play a vital role in supporting parents through the weaning journey and helping them feel confident about when to introduce different foods. This new study backs up current NHS advice and shows that eggs can be a regular part of the menu for children of all ages”.
