Red Meat foodservice performance – 6 September 2026

Thursday, 8 October 2026

Beef foodservice performance

Over the past 52 weeks to 6 September 2026, beef volumes in foodservice declined −2.9% year-on-year1. The decline was primarily due to takeaways, which saw a −6.7% decline in volumes year-on-year.

Burger meals make up 49.2% of total beef foodservice volumes. Beef burger volumes were up 3.3% year-on-year. This was probably due to the hot weather over the summer months and its association with the product.

Asian (+9.2%) dishes also saw growth1, driven by an increase in people buying them more often2.

Volume declined for Italian (−0.8%), meat-centred meals (−13.2%), savoury pastry (−11.3%) and beef Mexican meals (−28.5%)1.

See the full data and these insights visualised on our GB beef foodservice purchases dashboard.

Lamb foodservice performance

In the 52 weeks ending 6 September 2026, volumes for total lamb in foodservice declined by 9.3% year-on-year1. This was driven by decreases in both takeaways and dine-in/on-the-go dishes, likely due to average price increases of +3.5%2.

Kebabs make up 51.2% of all lamb volumes sold out-of-home. They continued to decline (-8.2% year-on-year1) due to decreases in shopper numbers and shoppers buying them less often2.

Volume declines were also seen for Indian meals (−7.8%) and meat-centred meals (−11.5%).

In contrast, volumes increased for Asian dishes (+1.2%)1 as shoppers bought them more2.

See the full data and these insights visualised on our GB lamb foodservice purchases dashboard. 

Pig meat foodservice performance

In the 52 weeks ending 6 September 2026, volumes for pig meat in foodservice declined −5.5% year-on-year1. This was driven by a decline in both takeaways and dine-in/on-the-go dishes. During this time, average prices per pack increased +6.0%2.

Savoury pastries are the most popular pigmeat dish out-of-home. They saw a 11.4% decline in volume, possibly due to increasing prices and push back against ultra processed meats1.

Burgers saw volumes grow +15.6%1. This was driven by shoppers buying them more often.

Asian, Italian, Indian all grew in popularity. Sales of Italian (+17.9%) and Asian dishes (+7.0%)1 increased as existing customers bought them more often 2. Indian dishes (+5.9%)1 increased because more people started buying them2.

We can also see declines in sandwiches (-1.1%), breakfasts (−5.6%), pizza (-6.0%) and meat-centred meals (−8.0%).

See the full data and these insights visualised on our GB pork foodservice purchases dashboard.

1 AHDB estimated volumes based on Worldpanel by Numerator UK OOH data, 52 w/e 6 September 2026

2 Worldpanel by Numerator UK OOH data, 52 w/e 6 September 2026

Image of staff member Lucy Rabjohn

Lucy Rabjohn

Retail and Consumer Insight Analyst

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