How important are holiday events for meat and dairy sales?

Our new research looks at how seasonal events and religious holidays impact meat and dairy demand, and explores future retail opportunities to help boost sales.

Brits love to get behind a seasonal event - whether it is a national holiday, a family celebration or just making the most of a rare sunny weekend.

More than three-quarters of shoppers say that they look forward to hosting, and special events are seen as a good an excuse to indulge and purchase special or unique items to create memorable experiences (IGD, 2024).

In 2023, there were 52.7 million in-home and carried out meal occasions containing beef, lamb, pork and dairy, making them present in 84% of all meals eaten in the year, and worth £23.5 billion (Kantar Usage).

Even though seasonal events may last just a day or two, events like Easter and Christmas, and even royal occasions like the King’s Coronation can significantly impact the overall yearly performance of red meat and dairy products, as shoppers claim that they are less likely to stick to a strict budget when it comes to food for celebratory occasions.

Christmas is seen to be the most important, and most celebrated, event of the year for shoppers, outranking even birthdays and anniversaries.

Primary lamb had a strong Christmas performance last year, with nearly five times the volumes of leg roasting joints sold in the lead up to Christmas compared with an average two-week period, and beef volumes purchased were up by over 12% on an average two-week period (Kantar, 2 w/e 24 December 2023).

AHDB Retail and Consumer Insight Analyst Charlotte Forkes-Rees said:

"In the minds of shoppers, events are often heavily associated with specific food and drink, as well as how they are celebrated. 

"However, people may be surprised to discover that our new research highlights some changing attitudes to seasonal events, with some consumers stepping away from tradition and trying something new when hosting or celebrating.

"This report aims to provide retailers and processors with insight about how red meat and dairy perform at key seasonal events throughout the year, allowing them to understand the needs, desires and drives of their customers, capture trends and tailor product messaging to meet consumer expectations.

"I’d also encourage British farmers to explore this research, as we explore production, trade and price trends associated with celebratory events, giving consumer context to when these peaks in demand are likely to occur, and what this means for farmers and the supply chain."