Consumers spend more on meat but buy less in 2013
Consumers spend more on meat but buy less in 2013
Spending on fresh and frozen meat rose by three per cent in 2013 although the volume sold fell by two per cent, according to figures released by Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales.
“Consumers purchased two per cent less fresh and frozen beef, lamb and pork in the 12 months to December 2013 than during the same period in 2012,” said John Richards, HCC’s Industry Information Officer.
“But despite the squeeze on household budgets the amount spent by customers actually rose by three per cent, driven by higher prices in the shops,” he said.
“The performance of beef, pork and poultry all mirrored this situation, with less sold but more money spent in the shops.
“Only lamb bucked the trend with prices below year earlier levels, helped by promotions particularly during the first half of 2013.
“Higher prices partly reflect an increased retailer focus on sourcing UK product since the horse meat scandal which broke in February 2013. This has been met by limited supplies, pushing up farmgate prices.
“Lamb is again the exception, however. A contributory factor was the increased imports of lower priced products from New Zealand during the first half of the year.”
Looking ahead to 2014, Mr Richards said that UK production of beef and pork were predicted to be higher while lamb was expected to be slightly lower.
“Even if imports remain subdued, this should mean more plentiful supplies of all meats on the domestic market,” said Richards. “Whether this suppresses prices will depend on retail promotion activities and how consumer demand responds.”
The data was supplied by Kantar Worldpanel.
