Perdue
A privately held American food and agriculture group best known for chicken, turkey, and other poultry products.
Last updated October 28, 2026
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Overview
Perdue Farms is a privately held American food and agriculture company headquartered in Salisbury, Maryland. The business began in 1920 when Arthur and Pearl Perdue raised and sold a small flock of chickens. It initially focused on table eggs, but changed direction in 1925 after building its first hatchery and beginning to sell layer chicks to farmers. Arthur Perdue’s son, Frank, joined the business in 1939 and later transformed it from a regional poultry enterprise into a vertically integrated food company. The company’s postwar development included contracting with farmers to raise birds, expanding hatchery capacity, and entering poultry processing. In 1968, Perdue began operating its first poultry processing plant in Salisbury. This integration connected breeding, hatcheries, feed, farming relationships, processing, and marketing within one corporate system. It also gave the company greater control over quality and enabled it to differentiate its poultry from undifferentiated commodity products. Perdue subsequently expanded into grain and oilseed operations, building grain receiving and storage facilities and establishing Maryland’s first soybean processing plant. Perdue Farms is the parent organization of Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness. Perdue Foods processes and markets chicken, turkey, and pork products, while Perdue AgriBusiness operates in grain merchandising, storage, feed, and related agricultural activities. The wider group has also included businesses associated with breeding, milling, animal-feed ingredients, renewable energy, fertilizer made from poultry litter, shared services, and natural foods. Coleman Natural Foods became part of the family-controlled structure, alongside other specialized operations. The company has used brand positioning around poultry quality, food production controls, and reduced or eliminated antibiotic use. In 2007, it introduced Harvestland for products marketed as meeting an antibiotic-free standard. By 2014, Perdue said that it had removed antibiotics, including ionophores used in animal production, from its hatchery program and applied antibiotic-free labeling to Harvestland, Simply Smart, and Perfect Portions products. These claims helped distinguish the company in a market increasingly shaped by consumer interest in ingredient transparency and production practices. Perdue remains family controlled but has moved beyond direct family chief-executive leadership. Jim Perdue, representing the third generation of Perdue family leadership, became chairman in 1991. In 2017, Randy Day was promoted from chief operating officer to chief executive officer, while Jim Perdue remained chairman. Day retired as chief executive in July 2023 and was succeeded by Kevin McAdams, previously the company’s chief operating officer. The group reported annual sales of approximately $8 billion in 2021, according to the cited Wikipedia overview. Its principal identity remains that of a large American poultry producer, although its operations extend into grain, agricultural inputs, animal nutrition, and related businesses.
History
Perdue's history is inseparable from that of Perdue Farms. The business originated as a family agricultural operation in Maryland during the early twentieth century and initially focused on egg production. It later entered broiler production as the American poultry industry shifted toward specialized breeding, contract growing, mechanized processing, and national distribution. The move into broilers gave the company a foundation for building a larger integrated poultry business. Over subsequent decades, Perdue Farms expanded its control over the poultry production chain. Its activities came to include breeding stock, hatcheries, feed manufacturing, relationships with poultry growers, processing plants, logistics, and branded sales. This model allowed the company to coordinate production at a scale beyond a local farm or regional processor and supported the development of branded chicken and turkey products for retail and foodservice customers. The Perdue name became increasingly visible to consumers as poultry moved from commodity sales toward branded, packaged products. Fresh cut chicken, whole birds, turkey, and later prepared foods gave retailers products that could be marketed directly to households. The brand's identity was reinforced through packaging, advertising, recipes, and claims concerning quality and production practices. Its product range broadened as consumers sought smaller cuts, convenient cooking formats, frozen items, breaded products, and ready-to-heat meals. Perdue Farms also diversified beyond a single poultry label and has operated multiple businesses and brands across poultry, food processing, and agricultural products. As a result, Perdue is both a recognizable consumer brand and part of a wider private company whose operations extend beyond the products bearing the Perdue name. The parent company's family ownership and private status distinguish it from many large publicly traded food companies. In the contemporary market, Perdue competes in a mature U.S. poultry sector alongside other national processors, regional producers, private-label suppliers, and organic or specialty brands. Its public communications have addressed food safety, antibiotic use, animal welfare, environmental practices, farmer relationships, and product convenience. The brand continues to rely on supermarket and foodservice distribution while adapting its portfolio to changing expectations about nutrition, sourcing, transparency, and preparation time. Publicly available information is substantially richer for Perdue Farms than for the Perdue brand as a standalone financial entity, so brand-specific founding, sales, and valuation data should not be inferred from parent-company history.
Family poultry business develops in Maryland
[1]The business that became Perdue Farms began as a family agricultural and poultry operation in Maryland before expanding into larger-scale egg and broiler production.
Expansion into integrated poultry production
[1]Perdue Farms developed an integrated operating model spanning breeding, hatcheries, feed, grower relationships, processing, and distribution, supporting national branded poultry sales.
Growth of branded retail poultry
[2]The Perdue name expanded across fresh chicken, turkey, frozen poultry, and value-added products as poultry became increasingly sold in packaged branded formats.
Products and positioning
Mainstream American poultry brand emphasizing quality, freshness, poultry expertise, convenient preparation, and supply-chain and animal-care communication.
Fresh poultry
Perdue Fresh Chicken
The core Perdue range consists of fresh chicken sold as whole birds and individual cuts. Common formats include breasts, thighs, drumsticks, wings, tenderloins, and ground chicken. Availability, package size, and production claims differ by retailer and product line. These products serve ordinary home cooking and are generally positioned as convenient supermarket staples rather than niche specialty foods.
Turkey
Perdue Turkey
Perdue-branded turkey products extend the portfolio beyond chicken. Depending on the season and channel, the range may include whole turkeys, turkey parts, ground turkey, and prepared or deli-oriented products. Turkey is especially associated with holiday retail demand but is also sold as an everyday alternative to other meats.
Prepared poultry
Perdue Breaded and Prepared Chicken
Value-added products include breaded, fully cooked, frozen, and ready-to-heat chicken formats. These products are designed to reduce preparation time and may include tenders, nuggets, patties, strips, and other meal components. Product names and exact assortments vary across retail, club, and foodservice channels.
Controversies
2020
Perdue plant workers walk out over coronavirus-related concerns
About 50 employees at a Perdue chicken plant in Kathleen, Georgia, walked out and staged a protest over concerns that the facility was not being sanitized and that employees exposed to coronavirus remained on the line. Perdue officials responded that the company had increased cleaning protocols and taken other steps to support employee health and safety.
2020
Boston Market files broiler price-fixing lawsuit
Boston Market filed a federal lawsuit against poultry companies, alleging that they conspired to manipulate broiler prices from 2008 to 2017 and caused it hundreds of millions of dollars in overcharges. The allegations are presented as claims in the lawsuit, not as a court determination. Perdue is identified among the poultry companies in coverage of the litigation.
2020
Chick-fil-A sues poultry suppliers over alleged price-fixing
In a federal lawsuit, Chick-fil-A sued poultry suppliers, alleging that they coordinated meat-supply pricing and reduced production in order to raise prices. Perdue is identified among the poultry suppliers named in the litigation. The allegations are claims made in the lawsuit and do not constitute a determination of wrongdoing. No court finding or outcome is stated in the source material.
2015
Farmer files whistleblower retaliation complaint against Perdue
The Food Integrity Campaign filed a whistleblower retaliation complaint on behalf of Perdue contract farmer Craig Watts. The complaint alleges that Perdue audited Watts’ farm and placed him on a Performance Improvement Plan in reprisal for protected activity; it also challenges the company’s “humanely raised” labeling.
Recent events
Chick-fil-A sues poultry processors over alleged price fixing[6]
Reported:
Chick-fil-A filed a federal lawsuit against Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms, and 14 other poultry producers, alleging that they shared bid and price information and colluded to manipulate chicken prices. The complaint claimed the conduct violated antitrust laws; the defendants' claims in a related class action were disputed.
Chick-fil-A sues poultry suppliers over alleged price-fixing[5]
Reported:
Chick-fil-A sued poultry suppliers in federal court, alleging they coordinated meat-supply pricing and reduced production to raise prices. The allegations are claims in the lawsuit, not a determination of wrongdoing.
- Unconfirmed
Boston Market files broiler price-fixing lawsuit[4]
Reported:
Boston Market filed a federal lawsuit against poultry companies, alleging they conspired to manipulate broiler prices from 2008 to 2017 and caused it hundreds of millions of dollars in overcharges. The allegations are presented as claims in the lawsuit, not as a court determination.
Perdue temporarily closes Milford processing plant after employee COVID-19 cases[8]
Perdue Farms temporarily closed its Milford processing plant on March 30 after two employees tested positive for COVID-19. The plant was scheduled to reopen on March 31.
Perdue plant workers walk out over coronavirus-related concerns[3]
Reported:
About 50 employees at a Perdue chicken plant in Kathleen, Georgia, walked out and staged a protest over concerns that the facility was not being sanitized and that employees exposed to coronavirus remained on the line. Perdue officials responded that the company had increased cleaning protocols and taken other steps to support employee health and safety.
Perdue Farms employees walk out over wage dispute[9]
Reported:
Several Perdue Farms employees walked off the production line in Perry, Georgia, in a dispute over wages. An employee said workers objected to being asked to work more hours without a pay increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perdue Farms said hourly production associates remain eligible for overtime pay after 40 hours and described steps it was taking for employees.
- Unconfirmed
Bioenergy DevCo and Perdue Farms enter a 20-year partnership[10]
Reported:
Bioenergy DevCo entered a 20-year partnership with Perdue Farms. Perdue Farms will supply organic material from its processing facilities, while Bioenergy DevCo will buy and manage the Perdue AgriRecycle composting facility in Delaware.
Farmer files whistleblower retaliation complaint against Perdue[7]
Reported:
The Food Integrity Campaign filed a whistleblower retaliation complaint on behalf of Perdue contract farmer Craig Watts. The complaint alleges that Perdue audited Watts’ farm and placed him on a Performance Improvement Plan in reprisal for protected activity; it also challenges the company’s “humanely raised” labeling.
Sources13 sources
- 1Perdue Farms: About Usperduefarms.com
- 2Perdue consumer brand websiteperdue.com
- 3Perdue plant workers walk out over coronavirus-related concernsbreitbart.com
- 4Boston Market files broiler price-fixing lawsuitdtnpf.com
- 5Chick-fil-A sues poultry suppliers over alleged price-fixingfoxbusiness.com
- 6Chick-fil-A sues poultry suppliers over alleged price-fixingqsrweb.com
- 7Farmer files whistleblower retaliation complaint against Perduecommondreams.org
- 8Perdue因员工新冠检测阳性暂时关闭米尔福德加工厂capegazette.com
- 9Perdue Farms员工因工资争议离岗41nbc.com
- 10Bioenergy DevCo 与 Perdue Farms 建立为期 20 年的合作关系bioenergy-news.com
- 11Chick-fil-A sues chicken producers for price-fixingruralradio.com
- 12Chick-fil-A sues chicken producers, alleging price fixing on billions of dollars of poultrynbcnews.com
- 13Chick-fil-A sues chicken producers, claims collusion and price-fixingnydailynews.com
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