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Democratizing Luxury and the Contentious "Invention of the Technological Chicken" in Britain

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  • Andrew Godley and Brodgit Williams

    (Henley Business School, Reading University)

Abstract

In 1950, poultry comprised 1 percent of the total meat consumed in Britain. But over the next thirty years, chicken consumption grew at the rate of 10 percent per annum, while overall meat consumption remained stagnant. By 1980, poultry made up a quarter of the total share of the market, replacing beef, mutton, and bacon in the British diet. This transformation was made possible by dramatic changes in production, dependent on technological innovations across several unrelated sectors. While the widespread distribution of cheap chicken led to its mass adoption, the transformation in meat-eating habits was not without its controversies. The leading retailers, in particular J. Sainsbury, acted as critical intermediaries in this contested market, reconciling consumer uncertainty by attaching their own reputations to product quality, and then by intervening in the quality standards employed in their supply chains.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Godley and Brodgit Williams, 2009. "Democratizing Luxury and the Contentious "Invention of the Technological Chicken" in Britain," Business History Review, Harvard Business School, vol. 83(2), pages 267-290, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:hbs:journl:2009q2godley.pdf
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    File URL: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/bhr/2009Q2godley.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Hinchliffe, Steve, 2015. "More than one world, more than one health: Re-configuring interspecies health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 28-35.
    2. Miguel Martín-Retorillo & Vincente Pinilla, 2012. "Why did agricultural labour productivity not converge in Europe from 1950 to 2005?," Working Papers 0025, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).
    3. Claas Kirchhelle, 2018. "Pharming animals: a global history of antibiotics in food production (1935–2017)," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(1), pages 1-13, December.
    4. Vicente Pinilla & Miguel Martin-Retortillo, 2012. "Why did agricultural labour productivity not converge in Europe, 1950-2006?," Working Papers 12016, Economic History Society.

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