For years, one narrative has dominated conversations in Jamaica’s food landscape: Imported chicken is cheaper than local. It sounds simple. It feels intuitive. But when we pause and examine the numbers — and more importantly, the structure behind those numbers — that assumption begins to unravel. The reality is far more complex, and it sits at the intersection of food prices, national production, and food security.

The Food Security Lens

Food security is built on four key pillars: Availability, access, utilisation, and stability. When we talk about price, we are firmly in the realm of access. Access refers to the ability of individuals and households to afford sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. In other words, food can be available in abundance, but if consumers cannot afford it, food security is still compromised.

Chicken, being one of the most widely consumed proteins in Jamaica, becomes a critical case study. The question is not just whether chicken is available, but whether it is accessible at a price consumers can sustain.

Breaking the Price Myth

A recent April 2026 analysis challenges the long-standing belief that imported chicken is significantly cheaper than local. When comparing whole chicken to whole chicken — a critical distinction — the price gap is far narrower than many assume.

Locally, wholesale prices range roughly from $283-310 per lb, while supermarket prices can range from $339-491 per lb. In the United States, whole chicken prices span $208-518 per lb, depending on brand, quality, and location

At first glance, some imported options appear cheaper. However, that comparison is not always equal, and often, not fair.

Not All Chicken Is Created Equal

One of the most overlooked factors is product size and market preference. Imported US whole chickens typically weigh 7-9 pounds, while the Jamaican market prefers smaller birds, around 3.8-4.2 pounds. This means consumers are not just comparing prices — they are comparing different products entirely.

Larger birds naturally carry a higher unit price, and purchasing patterns differ significantly between markets. Therefore, when we compare price per pound without context, we risk oversimplifying the conversation.

Cross-Subsidisation

Perhaps the most critical — and least understood — factor is how chicken is priced internationally. In the United States, poultry pricing benefits from cross-subsidisation. High-demand cuts like breast meat and wings are sold at premium prices while lower-demand cuts, particularly leg quarters, are sold at significantly reduced prices — sometimes as low as one-third of the cost of producing a whole chicken. This system allows exporters to offload surplus dark meat at extremely low prices in foreign markets.

Jamaica does not operate this way. Local chicken pricing reflects true production costs, without internal subsidies across product categories or regions. So, while imported chicken parts may appear “cheap,” that price is often artificially low, supported by a pricing structure that does not exist locally.

Why Tariffs Matter

Jamaica’s 240 per cent duty on imported chicken parts is often criticised — but it serves a very specific purpose. It is designed to protect local producers from an influx of heavily subsidised, low-cost imports, particularly leg quarters. Without this protection, the likely outcome is not cheaper food in the long term, but the collapse of local production capacity.

Other countries have already experienced this. Once local farmers exit the market, reliance on imports increases, and price control shifts externally. That is no longer just a pricing issue — it becomes a food security risk.

Regional Reality Check

When placed in a regional context, Jamaica’s chicken prices remain competitive. Across the Caribbean, prices are notably higher in several import-reliant markets, with the British Virgin Islands at approximately JMD 691 per kilogram, the Bahamas at $726, Trinidad at $813, and Barbados as high as $1,129 per kilogram. By comparison, Jamaica’s prices range from roughly JMD 625 to 1,083 per kilogram.

This is significant because many of these countries depend heavily on imports, yet still face higher consumer prices. This challenges the common assumption that greater reliance on imported chicken automatically translates to affordability.

Food Security Beyond Price

While affordability (access) is critical, food security cannot be evaluated on price alone. Local chicken production plays a vital role in ensuring availability through a consistent domestic supply, while also supporting stability by reducing vulnerability to global supply shocks. It strengthens economic resilience by sustaining jobs, agriculture, and local industry.

If local production weakens, Jamaica becomes increasingly exposed to global price volatility, supply chain disruptions, and currency fluctuations. In that context, short-term savings from cheaper imports can ultimately translate into long-term instability.

So, Is Imported Chicken Really Cheaper?

The answer is sometimes, but not in the way consumers think. When whole chickens are compared on a like-for-like basis, price differences are minimal. The lower prices often seen with imported cuts are typically the result of structural subsidies, where higher-value parts offset the cost of less popular ones.

In contrast, local chicken prices more accurately reflect true production costs, and regional comparisons show that Jamaica remains competitive across the Caribbean. Most importantly, the conversation should not end at price. When food security is reduced to a “cheapest option wins” approach, it overlooks the broader implications—particularly the impact on local industry, national resilience, and long-term access to food.

Final Thought

Price matters. Consumers feel it every day. But in food systems, cheap is not always sustainable — and sustainable is not always cheap. The real challenge for Jamaica lies in striking the right balance: Keeping food affordable to ensure access, while safeguarding local production to maintain availability and stability. Because true food security is not just about what we can buy today — it is about what we will still be able to afford tomorrow.

About the Author

Allison Richards is a food safety communicator, certified trainer and the founder of The Food Safety Girl, a consumer awareness platform promoting food safety in Jamaica and the Caribbean. She is the Caribbean Chapter Director for Women in Food Safety (WIFS) and host of The Big Bite Food Safety Show. With over 14 years of experience in food safety regulation, she is committed to public education and consumer empowerment. Through public education initiatives, including free community webinars, she continues to create space for learning, dialogue, and practical food safety awareness.

Jamaican consumers prefer four-pound birds over the eight-pound US imports. This size disparity means the price comparison involves two fundamentally different products.-

Unlike some international markets, Jamaica’s chicken prices reflect actual production costs without internal subsidies. The cheap nature of imported parts is often an artificial result of external pricing structures that simply do not exist within the local industry.

Allison Richards | thefoodsafetygirlja@gmail.com