BBQ products turn occasion and promotion into meat-market leverage

British retail data show that the meat category is not moving as one. In the 12 weeks ending 9 August, total red-meat volume fell 1.5% year on year while spending rose 1.8%. Beef volume declined 2.0%, but expenditure increased 3.3% as average prices rose 5.4%.

The exception was products tied to a clear consumption occasion. Beef-steak volume grew 13.4%, while processed beef grew 9.9%. Within that segment, burgers and grills rose 13.0%, or 2,166 tonnes. AHDB links a material part of the increase to promotion: the share sold on promotion was 17.5 percentage points higher than a year earlier.

The contrast with mince matters. Beef mince lost 7.8% in volume, with fewer buyers and less bought per trip. Pork mince, meanwhile, rose 26.6%; AHDB reports that shoppers partly switched from beef mince.