Foodservice demand divides by dish format—not simply by species

British foodservice data show that red-meat performance cannot be adequately explained by an overall trend for each species. AHDB published figures on 8 October covering the 52 weeks ending 6 September. Beef, lamb and pork all recorded lower total volumes, but winners and losers differed sharply by dish and eating occasion.

Out-of-home beef volume fell 2.9% year on year, driven mainly by a 6.7% drop in takeaway. Yet burgers—which account for 49.2% of the channel’s beef volume—grew by 3.3%. Asian dishes also increased. Italian formats, meat-centred meals, savoury pastry and Mexican beef dishes declined.

Lamb volume fell 9.3%. AHDB links the decline to lower takeaway and dine-in/on-the-go demand alongside a 3.5% rise in average prices. Kebabs account for 51.2% of lamb volume and declined by 8.2%, while Asian dishes posted modest growth.

Pork fell 5.5%, with average price per pack up 6%. But pork burgers rose 15.6%, and Italian, Asian and Indian dishes also expanded. For range development and professional selling, this reinforces a central point: the cut alone is not the right unit of analysis. Occasion, cuisine, service format and repeat-purchase frequency determine whether a meat offer achieves turnover.