Red meat retail performance – 12 July 2026

Beef retail performance

Over the past 12 weeks, spend increased 6.3%, driven by average price rises of 7.4%, resulting in volume declines of 0.9%.¹ Although remaining in volume decline, the rate of decline has softened versus previous periods.

Primary beef volumes saw an 1.0% decrease. Mince saw the greatest actual decline (-1,340 tonnes), a volume reduction of 4.5% year-on-year. This was driven by a decrease in volumes purchased per trip and number of buyers, due to the 11.9% average price increase.

In contrast, beef steaks (+9.1%) and diced beef (+10.5%) were both in volume growth. Beef steak growth was driven by more buyers and more volume per trip. Diced beef benefited from more shoppers, more volume per trip and shoppers buying it more often.

Total processed beef saw a 3.1% increase in volume purchased year-on-year. Burgers and grills drove this growth with +916 tonnes (+5.2%). This was driven by an increase in frequency of purchase which could be due to an uplift in BBQs in the recent warmer weather.

Total added-value products saw a volume increase of 4.8% this period. Sous vide saw a 9.5% increase due to an increase in the number of buyers.

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

Lamb retail performance

Lamb retail products saw a 1.4% decrease in volumes purchased, accompanied by a 5.9% increase in spend year-on-year. Average prices paid increased by 7.4%.¹

Total primary lamb cuts saw a 6.9% volume decrease during the 12-week period.* Lamb leg roasting saw the largest decrease of 31.8% (-683 tonnes) driven by a decrease in number of buyers and volumes purchased per trip.

Processed lamb saw a 3.8% decrease in volumes year-on-year. This decline was driven by burgers and grills, which had a decrease in buyers.

Total added value lamb saw a 5.3% increase in volumes year-on-year.  Sous vide saw the largest increase of 6.0% due to an increase in the number of buyers.

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

Pig meat retail performance

Pig meat products saw a 2.4% decrease in volumes purchased, a 1.3% decrease in spend and a 1.2% increase in average prices paid.¹

Primary pig meat saw volume increases of 1.5% this period. Roasting saw increases of 3.9% driven by an increase in buyers. Mince saw the largest volume increase of 25.9% (1,041 tonnes) driven by an increase in buyers and an increase in frequency of purchase.

Processed pig meat saw a decrease of 4.3% over the 12-week period. This was driven by a decrease in volumes for bacon rashers (-4.7%), sliced cooked meats (-6.3%) and sausages (-3.2%). These declines could show a shift away from more ultra-processed foods.

Total added value products saw a 6.5% increase in volumes this period. This was driven by sous vide which saw a 18.8% increase in volumes purchased. Average price decreased 0.7% due to an increase in promotions during this period. Both volumes per trip and frequency of purchase increased because of this.

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

1 Worldpanel by Numerator UK, 12 w/e 12 July 2026

*For data from 12 July 2026, there have been improvements made to the definitions used for shoulder, leg, and loin roasting joints. To ensure consistency in trended data, this improved definition has been applied retrospectively to the last five years of data, meaning that past data may have changed. Please contact the team if you have any questions: Strategic.insight@ahdb.org.uk

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