(PHOTO:REUTERS/Tim Shaffer)Reigning Wing Bowl champion Joey Chestnut eats chicken wings during the 16th annual Wing Bowl event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 1, 2008. Chestnut from San Jose, California ate 241 chicken wings to retain the crown.
Two suspects have been arrested in Atlanta, Ga. at the height of a chicken wing shortage that began weeks before the Super Bowl.
Dewayne Patterson and Renaldo Jackson were arrested last week by the Gwinnet County police department. The suspects stand accused of attempting to steal thousands of dollars worth of chicken wings at a time when they are in the most demand.
A chicken wing shortage was announced last week as football fans crowded grocery stores in preparation for Super Bowl parties. Super Bowl Sunday has been announced as the second largest eating day, second only to Thanksgiving.
A recent report anticipated that over 1.23 billion wings would be devoured on Feb. 3. Perhaps acknowledging the large demand, Patterson and Jackson attempted a chicken wing heist earlier this month. The men allegedly backed a rental truck into a Tyson loading zone and packed on 10 pallets of frozen chicken wings before driving off, according to an ABC report.
Both men were employees of the Nordic Distribution Center. Police caught up after management recognized the faces of the men. Both men were arrested on Jan. 23 and face felony theft charges.
The incident occurred at a time when the price of chicken wings has hit an all time high. The average price for chicken wings in the Northeast was up to $2.11 a pound- an increase of 22 percent thanks to a lack of birds, according to The Business News Daily.
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Fortunately other football fans won't have to be as desperate to get their wing fix, so long as they plan on eating out for game day.
"The good news for consumers is that restaurants plan well in advance to ensure they have plenty of wings for the big game," Bill Roenigk, chief economist for the chicken council, told The Chicago Tribune.
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