Figures by Kantar show that premium beef cuts such as steaks and roasting joints formed a higher percentage of the meat that consumers bought in 2021.
Overall, consumption of beef by British shoppers is down slightly on the unusually strong year of 2020 when Covid lockdowns had a profound impact on retail trends, but still comfortably above 2019 levels.
People in Britain spent £2.4 billion on beef in 2021, amounting to a total volume of 297,000 tonnes, which is 8.1% below the exceptional year of 2020 but 6.5% above the pre-pandemic trends seen in 2019.
Volume sales of roasting joints in 2021 were 16% up on 2019, accounting for 16.5% of beef sales as opposed to 15% two years ago. Steak sales are also up against the same benchmark, now accounting for 18.8% of the volume of beef sold in British shops, as opposed to 17.6% in 2019.
Conversely the proportion of beef sold as mince continues to fall, from 53.1% in 2019 to 50.4% in 2021.
Balance “essential for profitability”
Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) said that the data was “a vindication of its beef marketing strategy” to promote steak nights and family dining over the past two years.
According to HCC data analyst Glesni Phillips, the proportion of beef sold as the cheapest cuts had been a significant concern for farmers and processors. She said: “A balance of sales of premium and more affordable cuts are essential for the profitability of the beef sector.
“The growing proportion of the carcase sold as mince was a real concern, but it’s promising that this trend has reversed since 2019.”
Glesni added that this situation will still have to be monitored as the rising cost of living impacts on family finances.
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
