U.S. consumers say they ate less beef and pork in 2013 in their efforts to adopt healthier eating habits, according to new research from Mintel as reported in Meatingplace.
“Health trends motivating consumers to cut fat and cholesterol intake are by far the most dominant factors affecting the red meat market,” according to Patty Johnson, global food analyst at Mintel. “For many of those who are cutting back, they are very well trading up to a higher quality meat product.”
In the survey, 90 percent of consumers reported eating some kind of red meat at least once a month. But 39 percent of those that eat red meat said they ate less beef in 2013 than they did in 2012, and 25 percent of pork consumers claimed to have eaten less pork last year than the year before. Only 10 percent of beef eaters are eating more, and only 13 percent of pork consumers are eating more. Sixteen percent of those surveyed who said they are consuming less red meat are eating less, but higher quality red meat.
The rising cost of beef and pork is also playing a role in the decision to cut back on the consumption of red meat. More than half of the consumers surveyed said they had noticed the price of red meat increasing in the past 12 months and 36 percent said red meat is too expensive to buy as often as they would prefer.
