Power of Meat Remains Strong at Retail

Tenth Annual Study Examines Shoppers’ Meat and Poultry Purchasing Trends

Nashville, TN, February 24, 2015—Meat and poultry products remain among the top choices for shoppers at retail, but the tenth annual Power of Meat study published by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and North American Meat Institute (NAMI) highlights several trends in the way consumers are changing their purchasing behavior.

These include:

• Price per pound remains a top factor as increases in beef and pork prices drove many to buy less meat or look to different species, cuts and brands.
• Appearance of a product is the second-most influential factor driving meat and poultry purchases, surpassing total package price.
• Nutrition has gained importance as shoppers are putting greater emphasis on leaner cuts and portion control.
• Shoppers recognize the variety of nutrition benefits meat and poultry products offer – with poultry being viewed as key in a balanced diet and red meat seen as a source of valuable nutrients.
• Growing overall interest in local and organic products extends to meat and poultry. Local interest is driven by perceived freshness and support for the local economy.
• While supermarkets remained the dominant outlet for fresh meat and poultry, farmers' markets are the greatest source of the occasional purchase, at 15 percent of shoppers.
• Meat is still very much a planned purchase, but the decision is increasingly shifting to in-store, making excellence in execution even more important.

The Power of Meat study was conducted by 210 Analytics, LLC, sponsored by The Cryovac Brand, a part of Sealed Air’s Food Care Division, and was unveiled at the FMI/NAMI Annual Meat Conference.

For Media:

Power of Meat Top-10 findings (Link)

A copy of the full report is available to media upon request and downloadable at www.fmi.org/store

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ABOUT FMI

Food Marketing Institute proudly advocates on behalf of the food retail industry. FMI’s U.S. members operate nearly 40,000 retail food stores and 25,000 pharmacies, representing a combined annual sales volume of almost $770 billion. Through programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations, FMI offers resources and provides valuable benefits to more than 1,225 food retail and wholesale member companies in the United States and around the world. FMI membership covers the spectrum of diverse venues where food is sold, including single owner grocery stores, large multi-store supermarket chains and mixed retail stores.  For more information, visit www.fmi.org and for information regarding the FMI foundation, visit www.fmifoundation.org.

ABOUT NAMI

The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) is the leading voice for the meat and poultry industry. Formed from the 2015 merger of the American Meat Institute (AMI) and North American Meat Association (NAMA), the Institute has a rich, century-long history and provides essential member services including legislative, regulatory, scientific, international and public affairs representation.   NAMI’s mission is to shape a public policy environment in which the meat and poultry industry can produce wholesome products safely, efficiently and profitably. Together, the Institute’s members produce the vast majority of U.S. beef, pork, lamb and poultry and the equipment, ingredients and services needed for the highest quality products. www.meatinstitute.org