Retail spend on pigmeat products was up almost 4% year on year in the 12 weeks to November 2, driven by a combination of higher volumes and higher prices.
Over the period, volumes of pigmeat sold increased by 2.4% to 206.7m kg, compared with last year, alongside a 1.4% increase in price to £7.40. This resulted in a 3.8% increase in spend to £1.53bn, according to Worldpanel by Numerator UK, summarised by AHDB.
Primary pigmeat, where the UK sector is strongest, saw volume increases of +5.1% year on year over the 12-week period period, with increases seen for belly (+1.3%), fillet (+10.6%), mince (+36.6%), ribs (+19.8%), roasting (+1.1%) and steak (+6.4%).
Belly performance was driven by an increase in frequency of purchase; while roasting and steak performance was driven by an increase in volumes purchased per shopper during the period. Mince, fillet, and ribs all saw an increase in shopper numbers and an increase in volumes purchased per shopper boost their year-on-year performance, according to Charlotte Forkes-Rees, AHDB retail and consumer insight analyst.
Processed pigmeat saw a 2.1% volume increase over the 12-week period. Sausages (+4.7%), sliced cooked meats (+0.9%), gammon (+1.4%) and burgers and grills (+5.7%) all saw volume increases which offset declines seen by other processed cuts.
Sausages benefited from an increase in frequency of purchase as well as an increase in shopper numbers, while sliced cooked meats performance was driven by an increase in volumes purchased per shopping trip. Gammon and burgers and grills performance was due primarily to an increase in shopper numbers.
Total added value products saw an 11.2% increase in volumes this period, with all added value products seeing an increase in shopper numbers.
Sous vide (+16%) also saw an increase in frequency of purchase, while ready to cook (+8.0%) and marinades (+5.7%) performance was additionally driven by increases in volumes purchased per shopping trip.
Beef and lamb
The pigmeat retail boost has been sustained over a longer period. In the 52 weeks to November 2, pigmeat volumes were up 0.9% and prices up 1.2%, equating to a 2.1% year-on-year increase in spend.
The increase is largely driven by higher beef and prices. Over the past 12 weeks, retail beef spend was up by 10%, driven by an 18.8% increase in average price, as volumes purchased declined by 7.4% (9,670 tonnes.
Lamb retail products saw a -9.4% decrease in volumes purchased (-1,704 tonnes), accompanied by a -6.2% decrease in spend year-on-year, as average prices paid increased by 3.5%.