British consumers prefer beef

 Consumers are now spending more on beef than they did two years ago, according to new market analysis from Kantar.

Beef is having a great season in the UK market as consumers are willing to pay more for retail products. Consumers are now spending more on beef than they did two years ago, according to a new market analysis by Kantar.

This, combined with limited local supply of cattle and resilient consumer demand, is supporting the high farm prices currently seen in livestock markets.

Retail sales of beef - along with other meats such as lamb - have grown significantly during 2020 as people have started cooking family meals at home during pandemic restrictions. General retail trends are returning to pre-COVID-19 patterns , however red MEAT sales remain strong compared to 2019.

In the 12 weeks to 31 October 2021, consumers spent a total of £512.1 million on retail beef across the UK. While this is less than the same period last year, it is 4.4% higher than pre-Covid-19 spending in 2019.

Glesney Phillips, data analyst at Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales (HCC), said: “Context is important when analyzing consumer buying patterns. Despite the easing of covid-19 restrictions, food shopping habits remain volatile. The catering sector is slowly recovering from a very turbulent time, but was still only 75% of its size in 2019 by the second quarter of this year. With UK food sales up 7.3% recently compared to 2019, it is clear that more consumers are still choosing to eat at home and make larger purchases but less frequent trips to the shops. This year, people are spending more on steaks and roast beef than they did in 2019, while minced meat has a smaller share of sales. This is positive in terms of maintaining the balance of the carcass and increasing its value. Industry reports point to strong demand for beef ahead of Christmas.”