The Consumer Price Index for September issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics documented a 17.8 percent in the retail unit price for beef and veal compared to September 2020. Pork was up 12.7 percent and chicken was 7.6 percent higher compared to the corresponding month in 2020.
Studies conducted by IRI in collaboration with market research group 210 Analytics noted a fractional decline of 0.7 percent in dollar value of meat purchased by consumers at retail. Average expenditure on refrigerated meat and poultry was $14.38 per grocery trip over the first three quarters of 2021. The pattern of purchases varied according to region with a decline of 6.1 percent in the plains states, down 5.1 percent in the northeast but only 0.4 percent in the mid-south.
It was determined that 98.1 percent of U.S. households purchased fresh meat at some point during the nine-month period in 2021, approximately 0.5 percent lower than for the first three quarters of 2020.
During September, the value of pork sold increased by 9.9 percent over September 2020 and was 23.1 percent higher than in September 2019. For the September 2020 to 2021 comparison, dollar sales of fresh beef were up 6.1 percent and chicken by 6.6 percent. Given the general inflation in energy, rent and food, consumers are justifiably seeking deals and discounts in all supermarket departments.