Russians began to buy less meat

For the year, from July 2018 to June 2019, Russians bought 4.3% less meat products in natural volumes compared to the previous similar period, according to the consumer panel of the analytical company GfK (fixes the purchases of about 20 thousand households throughout RUSSIA, the report is at the disposal of RBC).

Analysts recorded a decline in sales in all categories of meat products, from poultry and pork to sausages and frankfurters. In monetary terms, sales remained almost unchanged (plus 1.4%; GfK does not give absolute values) due to the fact that prices for meat products rose, analysts explain.

Most of all, according to GfK, sales of beef decreased - by 7% per year. But it is not the most popular product in the diet: it accounts for only 8% of meat sales. For poultry, which accounts for 38%, the fall was 5.2%, for pork - 3% (its share in sales is 21%). Sausage sales fell 4.4%.

The fact that consumers buy less meat was confirmed by Komandor, the largest retailer in Eastern Siberia: in June 2019, its sales decreased by 4.3% compared to last year. The sale of pork marinade, that is, meat for barbecue, fell the most (by 7.7%), there is a decrease in beef (4.39%), says the DIRECTOR of Commander Andrey Teterin. Auchan representatives declined to comment. The networks Magnit, Lenta, O'Key did not respond to RBC's request.

The overall decline in category sales is due to higher meat prices, Teterin says. But there are also temporary factors: sales of meat marinades fell due to cold weather, RBC's interlocutor clarifies.