The Latin American Poultry Association (ALA) stipulated that the first Friday of July of each year will be celebrated as Latin American Chicken Meat Day.

At the last Extraordinary General Assembly on July 2, the Latin American Poultry Association (ALA) declared that the first Friday of July of each year should be celebrated as Latin American Chicken Meat Day. Therefore, this celebration was commemorated on July 9, 2021. This initiative seeks to highlight the contribution of poultry farming in the Latin American region to the world’s food problems.

On this day, the ALA recognized the fight against hunger, malnutrition, and the inaccessibility of quality food. Approximately 25 thousand people die every day in the world due to malnutrition and hunger. In addition, 800 million people suffer from chronic hunger, including Latin American countries.

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On the other hand, the Latin American Poultry Farming Association (ALA) recalled that, according to United Nations estimates, the world population is expected to continue increasing. For example, it is estimated that the population will grow by 30% by 2050, which translates into a demand for food of close to 60%.

The president of the ALA, Luis Valle Coello, mentioned that “it is not a minor matter to emphasize and bring the message to the entire population of how important it is to increase the production and consumption of animal protein such as chicken meat, informing with the truth and evidence of how it contributes to the physical and cognitive health of people”.

In turn, the president of the ALA highlighted the role of poultry farming in Latin America within the economic sphere of the continent, as it generates employment and sustainable development. He also emphasized that poultry farming is working for the preservation of the environment and contributing to fulfilling the global development goals that all countries have committed to.

Chicken meat: featured food on this day

In the declaration of the Latin American Day of Chicken Meat, some important ideas were highlighted:

• Chicken meat constitutes an indispensable source of animal protein due to its nutritional components.
• Chicken meat provides proteins required for the chemical and metabolic processes of the human body.
• The poultry meat industry is responsible for providing the most widely produced and consumed animal protein that contributes to the world’s food safety.
• Chicken meat is part of the culture and culinary tradition of Latin American peoples.
• In Latin America, chicken meat generates employment, income and contributes to the social and economic development of the countries.

Finally, the Latin American Poultry Association (ALA) revealed that chicken meat production in Latin America was 27 million tons in 2020. This Association is made up of: Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela.