Beef Marketplace Update 

Executive Summary

• Fresh meat retail is in a growth phase: Dollar sales are up meaningfully across time windows, with the most recent 4 weeks accelerating versus the 52-week trend.
• Beef is the growth engine in retail value: Beef dollar sales outpace total fresh meat and the other legacy proteins across 52-week, 13-week, and 4-week views.
• Volume is improving—especially recently: Total fresh meat pounds are positive in the latest 13- and 4-week windows, and beef pounds are up even more, indicating demand resilience beyond just price inflation.
  
• Price remains a key tailwind: Average price/lb is higher across the board; beef is up mid–high single digits YoY depending on the window.
  

Consumers are maintaining or increasing at-home beef consumption despite higher prices, with ground beef leading due to value and versatility.

• Beef detail: where is the growth coming from?
• Ground beef: $16.67B (+14.6%) 52W; $4.36B (+17.9%) 13W; $1.49B (+19.2%) 4W.
• Beef steaks: $15.93B (+9.1%) 52W; $3.59B (+4.5%) 13W; $1.17B (+5.9%) 4W.
• Roasts: $4.75B (+12.5%) 52W; $1.86B (+13.2%) 13W; $0.43B (+15.6%) 4W.
• Brisket: $0.66B (+5.9%) 52W; $0.18B (+17.3%) 13W; $0.04B (+16.2%) 4W.
  
• Value-added beef: $4.23B (+11.4%) 52W; $1.07B (+13.2%) 13W; $0.36B (+12.0%) 4W.

Retailers are moving beef through both “everyday” (ground, roasts) and premium (steaks) channels, but ground is the standout growth driver, reinforcing the importance of trim and grinding demand.

• Beef pounds (volume): strongest gains in roasts & value-add; steak volume softer
• Total beef volume: +4.2% (52W), +4.4% (13W), +6.3% (4W).
• Ground beef volume: +3.3% (52W), +4.2% (13W), +5.7% (4W).
• Roast volume: +7.9% (52W), +7.2% (13W), +11.5% (4W).
  
• Value-added volume: +8.9% (52W), +11.6% (13W), +11.4% (4W).
  
• Steak volume: +1.3% (52W) but -2.7% (13W) and -0.9% (4W).
  
• Brisket volume: -7.4% (52W) but +7.7% (13W), +5.3% (4W).

The most recent period shows pounds growing for beef overall, with especially strong momentum in roasts and value-added—categories that can benefit from convenience-led solutions. Steaks remain valuable in dollars but show some near-term pound softness, which is important when thinking about middle-meat demand and cutout dynamics.

Competitive context: how beef stacks up vs. other proteins

• Chicken: Dollar growth is positive but slower than beef (52W +6.7%, 4W +8.2%), and chicken prices are up modestly (4W $3.26, +3.3%).
• Pork: Modest value and volume growth (4W dollars +6.1%, volume +4.1%) with relatively flat pricing (4W $3.27, +1.9%).
• Turkey: A notable disconnect—4W price spikes to $4.37 (+14.1%) while volume falls -5.0%.

Beef is competing well—even in a market where chicken and pork remain lower-priced proteins—because beef is delivering both dollar and pound gains overall.

Competitive Landscape: Beef Outperforms Other Proteins

• Beef’s double-digit retail dollar growth alongside positive pound growth suggests consumers are not trading away from beef in a meaningful way—supportive for downstream beef values and, indirectly, cattle markets (with the usual lags and supply-side caveats).
• Ground beef is the report’s highlighted at-home weekly staple, and it’s delivering the strongest dollar growth among major beef cuts, reinforcing the strategic importance of trim demand.
• Steaks remain very large in dollars and price per pound, but recent pound declines mean merchandising, promo strategy, and consumer affordability may be influencing near-term steak movement.
  
• Strong volume gains in roasts and value-added imply consumers are responding to easy meal solutions and potentially seasonal cooking patterns—good signals for programs aligned with convenience, pre-seasoned, and ready-to-cook formats.

WEEKLY BEEF CONSUMPTION BY GENERATION

Across generations, weekly beef consumption has increased since 2021, with Millennials and Gen Z showing the most consistent upward momentum. This challenges older assumptions that younger cohorts are structurally moving away from beef and reinforces that beef remains relevant across age groups.

IMPLICATIONS

• Beef demand is not generationally eroding—it’s rebalancing by format and occasion.  
• Ground beef and value‑added formats are the connective tissue across generations, particularly critical for Gen Z and Millennials.  
• Steaks remain important in dollars, but future volume growth skews younger and more convenience‑led.  
• Reinforces retail data showing ground beef as the primary growth engine even as prices rise.

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