Ikea could start selling chicken wings again in 3 months; prices to remain unchanged

Photo of meatballs, garlic bread, mussels and chicken wings served at Ikea Restaurant. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

SINGAPORE - Ikea's beloved fried chicken wings could make a return to eateries at its Singapore stores soon.

Lianhe Zaobao reported on Wednesday (June 1) that the furniture giant is not ruling out finding a new supplier and selling its fried chicken wings again within three months.

It had replaced the fried chicken wings with chicken tenders last Tuesday. Sales of chicken wings was stopped in response to mounting criticism on social media about the declining quality and size of its chicken wings.

South-east Asia retail director Mike King, who was interviewed by the Chinese-language daily, noted that patrons began voicing their dissatisfaction with the staple finger food on social media about three months ago.

The decline in quality was related to the decline in size, explained Mr King, as chicken wings from the supplier began to fall below a benchmark weight of 100g per wing. This meant that chicken wings - dried out by the frying process - were not just smaller, but also less succulent.

He added that Ikea had used the supplier, which is based in Malaysia, for 18 months.

Increased demand for chicken from the supplier in the wake of a tainted meat scandal from Brazil in March had caused the change.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, an Ikea spokesman said that it used "a range of factors" to determine if chicken wings are of sufficiently quality to be served.

These include juiciness, flavour and size.

When asked about how the company evaluated its food suppliers, the spokesman said: "Ikea is looking for suppliers who can meet our needs and commitment to offer high quality food that is sustainable and based on high animal welfare, transparent, traceable and affordable."

The spokesman also confirmed that prices of the fried chicken wings would not change.

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