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Meat purchases soar during pandemic, report says

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WASHINGTON — Americans are buying more beef, pork, poultry, and lamb than ever before, according to a new study, which found that grocery sales of meat rose by 20% from 2019 to 2020.

MeatThe national analysis released on Tuesday shows that three out of every four Americans agree that meat belongs in a healthy, balanced diet (up by nearly 20% since 2020), and 94% say they buy meat because it provides high-quality protein.

The Power of Meat study was conducted by 210 Analytics on behalf of FMI, the food industry association, and the Meat Institute’s Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education. The study was released during the American Meat Conference.

“Americans feel better than ever about choosing meat as part of healthy, balanced diets,” said Meat Institute president and CEO Julie Anna Potts. “With COVID-19 deepening demand for convenient, affordable food that tastes good and matches Americans’ values, meat fits the bill.”

Nearly all American households (98.4%) purchased meat in 2020 (IRI), and 43% of Americans now buy more meat than before the pandemic — primarily because they are preparing more meals at home.

The proportion of meals prepared at home peaked at 89% in April 2020 and remained at 84% in December, according to IRI, which is considerably above pre-pandemic levels. The trend particularly impacted Millennials who were previously most likely to eat out.

The number of meat shoppers who purchased groceries online grew 40% in 2020, and the majority of online purchasers (59%) expect to continue purchasing about the same amount online in 2021, suggesting food shopping habits may have changed permanently.

Americans are also embracing new cooking methods (ownership of air fryers increased 24%) and turning to digital sources for recipe inspiration (YouTube use is up 50%) and promotions (consulting digital circulars for promotions increased 33%).

“Shoppers are cooking more at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and their confidence in cooking and preparing meat has increased,” FMI vice president of Fresh Foods Rick Stein said. “Further analysis also shows convenient meal solutions are key and that food retailers have opportunities to provide more choices, along with more information and education on consumer priorities like nutrition and meal preparation – building up what we call consumers’ Meat IQ.”


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