Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Food Safety,Our Blog on February 1, 2026
Who doesn’t love a good chicken wing? They are so delicious and can be fixed in many ways. Today we look at some chicken wing facts & safety tips to keep you and your loved ones safe especially when preparing for the big game.
While New England is known for its chowder and Seattle its salmon tossing, when it comes to Super Bowl menus, nothing is hotter than wings. The National Chicken Council (NCC) today released its annual Chicken Wing Report, projecting Americans to eat 1.48 billion chicken wings watching the Patriots and Seahawks battle for the Lombardi Trophy. This figure represents an increase of about 10 million more wings than last year’s game.
“I think Bradley Cooper is wrong: Football is for food,” said NCC spokesperson Tom Super. “Especially when it comes to the Super Bowl, where wings rule the roost. For football fans looking to add protein to their spreads at an affordable price, wings are king of Super Bowl menus.”
Because you’ve never really thought about that many wings…how do 1.48 billion chicken wings stack up?
In the latest four weeks (playoff window), chicken wing units surged nationally 19.8% year-over-year and dollars were up 11.4% versus the prior period, reflecting strong seasonal/game‑day demand
In the Seattle retail market over the past four weeks during the playoffs, wing sales were up 8.6% in dollars, up 26.3% in units and up 22.2% in volume. For the Boston market, wing sales were up 4.4% in dollars, 17.1% in units and 10.9% in volume.
But of the four cities who played in the NFC and AFC Championship games, consumers in Los Angeles order the most wings per person at 4 times per year, beating out Boston, Seattle and Denver.
Retail prices for fresh wings are down 2.8% year-over-year, with a four-week moving average from Circana of $3.47 per pound, according to Wells Fargo’s Super Bowl Food Report. This dip in cost comes thanks to U.S. broiler producers boosting domestic production by 2.2% in 2025, aided by lower feed costs.
Despite softer wing prices, at 57 million lbs., cold storage inventories reported to end November were at their lowest November total in more than 10 years (outside of 2020 COVID), according to USDA. This means restaurants, bars and supermarkets started stocking up well in advance of the Big Game.
“The bottom line… wings will be available in plenty, they’ll be affordable, and they’ll be delicious,” Super added.
When it comes to food safety during the big game, you can’t just wing it. Chicken wings are one of the most popular foods to eat during the Super Bowl, and USDA has some tips to keep foodborne illness from intercepting your Super Bowl Sunday.
USDA recommends against washing your raw poultry to help minimize the spread of bacteria; however, if you do wash your raw chicken wings, please remember to fully clean and sanitize surfaces that may have come in contact with raw juices, like your sink, countertop, cutting board and utensils.
Avoid cross-contamination by separating your raw chicken wings from your ready-to-eat foods like chips and dips. Use separate serving spoons for each dip and sauce.
Chicken wings must be cooked to the safe internal temperature of 165 F, as measured with a food thermometer. To measure correctly, insert the food thermometer into the thickest part of the wing and avoid the bone. If a wing has not reached 165 F, cook the wings longer until they reach a safe internal temperature.
Place your chicken wings and other perishable foods back into the refrigerator in small, shallow containers within two hours of them sitting at room temperature. After two hours in the Danger Zone, bacteria can reach dangerous levels, making you sick. If you’re serving chicken wings on game day, you can avoid the Danger Zone and keep them hot by placing them in a preheated oven, warming tray, or slow cooker.
Happy Game Day from Make Food Safe!