Spend on beef products has increased by 5.8% year-on-year, as reported by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
AHDB said this was due to a combination of a 0.7% increase in volumes purchased as well as a 5.1% increase in average prices paid (Kantar, 12 weeks ended 26th January 2025).
Primary beef volumes increased 0.9% during the same period. Mince saw a 2% increase in volumes purchased, which AHDB said was due to an increase in frequency of purchase and an increase in shopper numbers.
It reported volume growth of 7.9% in diced beef due to an increase in buyers, as well as an increase in volumes purchased per buyer. Steak also saw volume growth, up 3.7% year-on-year, with AHDB stating that this was driven by an increased frequency of purchase.
Processed beef saw a 2.9% increase in volumes purchased year-on-year, said AHDB. Burgers and grills saw a 3.3% increase in volumes purchased due to an increase in frequency of purchase combined with an increase in shopper numbers. Beef sausages also saw volume growth (+32.5%), with an additional 174 tonnes purchased predominately due to an increase in buyers.
Total added-value products all saw a 7.2% increase in volumes purchased this period, driven by sous vide (+6.4%) and marinades (+11.8%) performance. Sous vide benefitted from an increase in buyers and the volumes they purchased per shopping trip this period, said AHDB, while marinades saw an increase in promotions drive an increase of buyers to the category.
Lamb volume decreases
AHDB reported that lamb saw a 4.1% decrease in volumes purchased in the 12 weeks ended 26th January 2025, with spend increasing during the period due to a 4.7% increase in average prices paid (Kantar 12 weeks ended 26th January 2025).
According to AHDB, primary lamb decreased 8.2% in volumes purchased, attributing this to a reduction in promotional support.
Diced lamb saw 15.7% volume growth due to an increase in shopper numbers as well as retail deals, said AHDB, while steak saw slight volume growth of 0.2% due to an increased frequency of purchase.
There was a 6% decline in processed lamb purchase volumes during the 12 weeks ended 26th January 2025. AHDB stated that burgers and grills drove the decline of 8.1%.
For added-value products, there was a 3.1% increase in volumes purchased, said AHDB. This was driven by sous vide performance which saw volumes increase 8.8%, benefitting from an increase in buyers due to an increase in promotional support by temporary price reductions.
Pig meat spend increased despite purchase volumes dropping
Looking at the Kantar data, AHDB saw a 1.2% decrease in volumes of pig meat purchased, which was equivalent to 2,824 tonnes less than the same period in 2024 (Kantar 12 weeks ended 26th January 2025). However, it said that spend on pig meat increased by 0.4% year-on-year due to a 1.6% increase in average prices paid.
Sausages were the only processed cut to see volume growth (up 1.8%) as purchase frequencies increased, while overall volumes of processed pig meat drove the overall decline in pig meat performance, said AHDB. There was a 2.4% decrease in purchase volumes during this period.
Belly (up 1.5%), mince (up 5.3%) and roasting (up 1.1%) pig meat saw volume increases.
AHDB found that added value also saw overall volume purchased increase (+8.6%). This was due to sous vide (+4.8%) seeing increased shopper numbers, while increased promotional activity for marinades attracted in new shoppers resulting in a 31.3% increase in volumes purchased.
