United States

Department of 

Agriculture

Agricultural

Marketing

Service

Livestock

and Poultry 

Program

Agricultural

Analytics

Division

Feature Advertising by U.S. Supermarkets

Meat and Poultry

The NFL-AFL World Championship Game 2021

Advertised Prices effective through February 07, 2021
U.S. Supermarket Holiday Featuring of Meat and Poultry (February 2021)

USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service, L&P, Agricultural Analytics Division 2

Feature Advertising by U.S. Supermarkets During the Annual Pro-Football Championship

This report provides a detailed breakdown of supermarket featuring of the most popular meat and poultry products 

for the annual NFL-AFL World Championship Game (Super Bowl) marketing period. Super Bowl Sunday is the 

second largest food consumption day on the calendar after Thanksgiving and marks a significant demand period for 

a variety of meat and poultry items popular as finger foods. Advertised sale prices are shown by state and region.

Team Chicken

8 Piece Mixed..............................white (breast, wing) and dark (drumstick, thigh) young chicken pieces that have either been 

breaded/battered or coated in sauce/spices before being fried in oil, oven-baked, or 

barbecued/grilled.

8 Piece Dark................................dark (drumstick, thigh) young chicken pieces that have been breaded/battered and then 

fried in oil. 

Fried/Baked Mixed Packs ..........white (breast, wing) and dark (drumstick, thigh) young chicken pieces that have been 

breaded/battered before being fried in oil or oven-baked available in packs of multiple 

pieces (party packs). Bulk packs in excess of 100 pieces are reported on a dollars per 

piece basis.

Deli Wings...................................young chicken wings that have been breaded/battered then fried in oil or oven-baked. 

Sauce is normally applied following the cooking process. Bone-in wings usually consist of 

the combined drumette and flat portions of a whole chicken wing with the tip removed (v-cut) 

or of the individual drumette and flat portions. Boneless wings are commonly produced from 

chunks of breast meat and are cooked in similar fashion.

Tenders.......................................the tender muscle portion of a young chicken breast that have been breaded/battered 

before being fried in oil or baked. Also known as strips or fingers.

Rotisserie....................................a whole (without giblets) young chicken skewered on a spit and roasted in an oven. The 

most popular size for a rotisserie chicken is 2 pounds with birds up to 3 pounds also 

available.

Fresh Wings................................whole (drumette, flat, and tip) or cut fresh young chicken wings available in a range of sizes. 

IQF Wings ...................................individually quick frozen raw whole or cut young chicken wings normally sold by the bag. 

IQF Party Wings .........................individually quick frozen raw whole or cut flavored young chicken wings normally sold by the 

bag. 

IQF Tenders ................................individually quick frozen raw young chicken tenders normally sold by the bag. 

Cooked/Frozen Chicken ............pre-cooked young chicken whole muscle, bone-in or boneless wings or tenders/strips 

flavored or unflavored normally sold by the bag.

Chicken Party Platters...............store-prepared cooked young chicken wings or tenders sold in platter or pan serving units. 

Units vary by seller but generally are available in small, medium, and large sizes each with 

an estimated number of servings. 

Team Pork

Spareribs ....................................the lower portion (belly) of the rib cage between the back rib and the sternum including at 

least 11 ribs.

Backribs......................................the upper portion of the rib cage between the back rib and the sternum including at least 8 

ribs. Also known as baby back ribs. 

St. Louis......................................the spare rib minus the sternum and lower cartilages, ending in a rectangular shape.

Country Ribs...............................most commonly cut from the blade end of the pork loin near the shoulder. Include 3-6 ribs 

cut into equal portions and may be bone-in or boneless.

Riblets.........................................the sternum and lower cartilages resulting in the preparation of a St. Louis-style rib. Also 

marketed as rib tips.

Deli Ribs......................................store-prepared cooked pork ribs sold by the pound or by the whole or half slab.

Pre-Cooked, Flavored Ribs .......pre-cooked and flavored pork backribs in sealed pouch. 

Pork Rib Platters ........................store-prepared cooked pork ribs sold in platter or pan serving units. Units vary by seller but 

generally are available in small, medium, and large sizes each with an estimated number of 

servings. 
U.S. Supermarket Holiday Featuring of Meat and Poultry (February 2021)

USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service, L&P, Agricultural Analytics Division 3

Game Highlights

On February 7, 2021, the 55th annual NFL-AFL World Championship game (aka. “Super Bowl LV”) will be played at Raymond James 

Stadium in Tampa, Florida between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the American 

Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs. The game not only marks the annual crowning of an ultimate football 

champion, it also marks what has come to be the most significant non-holiday eating event on the calendar. From its inception in 

1967, the Big Game has served as the perfect opportunity for fans, and non-fans alike, to gather, some to enjoy the game, others 

the commercials or half-time show, and all the delicious food. While the winners of the game are not known at the time of this 

printing, the ultimate winners are the millions of snack-consuming fans. 

Traditionally, Championship Sunday takes place in front of the television. In fact, some of the best annual deals on new TV’s can 

be found in January targeting the Big Game. However, television viewership has declined steadily with 2020 TV viewership down 

12% from the high set in 2015 as other venues increase in popularity, particularly digital viewership through computers and settop boxes, estimated at 3.4 million in 2020, a 31% increase from 2019 and 3.5 times more than in 2015. This year, the lingering 

effects, if any, of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which had not yet been identified in 2020 when Super Bowl LIV was played, are 

yet to be seen Regardless, the majority of fans will view the Big Game in front of their television sets where finger food rules the 

menu. Chicken wings have been the perennial fan favorite - perfectly sized, versatile to prepare, relatively low cost, and widely

available. This year is no different with chicken, with an estimated 3% decrease in first quarter production from last year, being 

offered in a variety of forms and leading all competitive meat proteins. This year, USDA estimates that a record 2.1 billion chicken 

wings will be eaten by fans during the big game. But chicken’s dominance is increasingly being eroded by a host of rivals, primarily 

the pork rib, also a perfect finger food that is inexpensive and widely available, although first quarter production is estimated to 

be down 2% from 2020. 

This year, the Chiefs travel from the Midwest heartland to Tampa Bay, home of the Buccaneers and the first time a Super Bowl 

team is playing in its home stadium. For the Chiefs, after a 50-year drought, they mark their second consecutive appearance in 

the big game. In the northeastern city of Buffalo, NY, while the hometown Bills lost in the NFC championship, Buffalo fans are still 

winners as this is the home of the invention of the buffalo wing at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY, in 1964. Likewise, while the Green 

Bay Packers lost in the AFC championship, fans in the upper Midwest still have their pork ribs and sausage to keep them warm 

while they root for (or against) the big game teams. The West Coast is shut out this year after the San Francisco 49ers lost out last 

year and the Los Angeles Rams the year before that. Left coast fans favor chicken options over pork and the Southwest and 

Northwest lead the nation in their taste for store deli-prepared fried and baked chicken. While the South Central states (aka, 

Arklatex) have known their share of pro football champions in the past, this year they must be satisfied with dreams of next year. 

Fans across this region rival the Southeast in their love of chicken and pork finger foods but beef is the big favorite for ribs and 

meatballs and for big pots of chili and there will be more than a few briskets smoked over the weekend. Speaking of the Southeast, 

fans across the south will look to their Florida cousins to carry their banner in the big game. While southern fans love their chicken, 

they really love their pork options and led the nation in their taste for pork ribs of all types. 

Chicken remains the perennial fan favorite as a game-viewing staple but its dominance is being diluted by a dizzying array of 

competitors. Pork ribs have been increasing in popularity in recent years but, with the introduction of pre-cooked, flavored, and 

easy-to heat offerings, their popularity has exploded. The fastest-growing trend in pork is offerings of boneless, barbeque-flavored 

pulled and shredded pork, perfect on a bun and easily held in one hand leaving the other hand free for a “beverage”. When not 

competing with each other, chicken and pork face a host of rivals for consumer demand for the Super Bowl. Across the nation, 

ground beef for making pots of chili are a popular offering and pre-cooked packaged meatballs are enjoying their own growing 

fan following. In the Southeast, chicken and pork share the TV tray with catfish strips and nuggets while shrimp is a popular option

in the Northeast. The Northwest likes their seafood and, in the South Central, its game on as beef ribs play a key role in satisfying 

fan demand. The Southwest likes their fresh pork butts and picnics to make pozole. And, alas, competition is not limited to meat 

proteins as the popularity of pizza and related snack foods continues to erode more traditional meat options. 

This year, ad prices for chicken products in retail outlets are up across the board. the Southeast leads all regions in overall 

preference for chicken and pork, not unexpected given the big game will be played in that region. The South Central U.S. leads 

this year in preference for fresh wings, led by Texas fans. Overall, offerings of fresh wings at retail outlets are down from last year

and prices are higher as supplies are down from a year ago. The Northeast, which used to lead the nation in its fondness for fresh 

wings, has gradually developed a preference for store deli-prepared wings in a variety of flavored sauces. The Southeast favors 

quick frozen and pre-cooked frozen wings over the rest of the nation and just edges out South Central fans for its liking of rotisserie 

chickens. The Southwest prefers deli fried and baked chicken, especially for big packs of 100 of more pieces. The Midwest is a 

close second for deli wings and is a strong contender for fresh/frozen uncooked wings and for pre-cooked wings. 

When it comes to pork offerings at retail, the Southeast leads in overall pork preference for gameday with a 27% per capita 

marketing share, driven by a strong preference for fresh rib offerings of all types. Fans in other parts of the country support their 

own favorites with the Northeast a close second for St; Louis ribs, the Central U.S. for baby back ribs and for country or westernstyle ribs (cut from the butt and technically not part of the rib but delicious nonetheless), and Northwest for boneless country ribs. 

Pork riblets have seen increasing popularity and fans in the Southeast and South Central favor them over all other areas. Fresh 

bratwurst offerings are down this year in volume but remain popular as ever in the upper Midwest. Pulled pork is becoming a fan 

favorite across much of the nation, especially in the southern part of the nation from the Atlantic coast to West Texas, and, in 

handy one-pound pre-flavored tubs. Pre-cooked and flavored ribs continue to be favored in much of the country, especially from 

the Rockies eastward. 
U.S. Supermarket Holiday Featuring of Meat and Poultry (February 2021)

USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service, L&P, Agricultural Analytics Division 4

Report Notes and Key to Abbreviations:

All information is collected from a survey of publicly available, on-line supermarket advertising circulars during the holiday 

marketing period. All prices are in U.S. dollars per pound unless otherwise noted. 

U.S. Regional Definitions:

Northeast ............CT,DC,DE,MA,MD,ME,NH,NJ,NY,PA,RI,VT

Southeast............AL,FL,GA,KY,MS,NC,SC,TN,VA,WV

Midwest...............IA,IL,IN,MI,MN,ND,NE,OH,SD,WI

South Central......AR,AZ,CO,KS,LA,MO,NM,OK,TX,UT

Southwest...........CA, HI, NV

Northwest............AK,ID,MT,OR,WA,WY

Explanatory Notes:

Feature Rate: the percentage of surveyed stores advertising any reported item during the covered period, expressed as a 

percentage of the total state and regional survey.

Activity Rate: the sum of the number of stores in each state/region advertising each reported item. The more reported items 

a supermarket features, the greater its contribution to overall activity. 

Activity Ratio: the overall number of advertised items offered relative to the report survey size (32,700 stores in 2020). 

(activity rate/overall sample). 

Stores: the number of stores featuring each reported item based on the current state-by-state store count for each surveyed

supermarket chain. 

Stores Associating Chicken/Pork: reflects the percentage of surveyed stores tying their chicken and/or pork item feature 

to the game of football. 

The NFL-AFL World Championship Game 2021 (Super Bowl LV) was played on February 7, 2021 in the Raymond James 

Stadium in Tampa, Florida between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the American 

Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs. 

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the 

USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from 

discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal 

or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all 

programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.