Demand for frozen red meat on the rise in the UK

 Although prices rose due to food price inflation , sales volumes increased by 537 thousand kg (1.4%) year on year and also rose by 1.3% compared to pre-pandemic levels. The cost-of-living crisis has impacted consumer shopping patterns, with consumers switching to frozen red meat due to its lower price of £4.83/kg, which is 39.2% cheaper on average than fresh meat.

In general, purchases of frozen beef and pork in supermarkets are contrary to the general trend: they increased compared to last year, despite the decrease in sales of fresh and groceries. However, sales of frozen lamb have declined. Since the beginning of the year, imports of carcasses and primary frozen cuts of red meat have declined year on year, especially from the EU for beef and pork (HMRC, Trade Data Monitor LLC).

Frozen beef accounts for 12.7% of total beef sales and is rising as total frozen beef sold increased slightly in the 12 weeks to April 16, 2023 (+1.8%, 303kkg) on an annualized basis. Although not significant, sales of more expensive fresh beef have declined.

The growth in frozen beef sales was driven by increased sales of ready meals and value-added products. Purchases of frozen ready-to-eat meals rose 8.8% (558,000 kg) year-on-year, slowly increasing over the past 18 months. Frozen beef ready meals account for more than half of all frozen beef sales growth as they continue to be one of the cheapest beef products and shoppers are also increasingly looking for convenient eating options. 

Imports of frozen beef since the beginning of the year (January-March) amounted to 17,550 tons, while imports for the first quarter decreased by 19.9% ​​(-4,360 tons) compared to the same period last year, as well as an average of 5 years ( HMRC, Trade Data Monitor LLC). As the EU dominates frozen beef exports to the UK, a marked year-on-year decline in imports from Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and France has contributed to this overall decline.

Frozen pork sales volumes also rose by 3.1% (501 thousand kg) compared to the same period last year in the 12 weeks to April 16, 2023. Overall, this resulted in an increase in the share of frozen pork in total pork sales compared to the previous year to 7.8%.