Something fishy about the BBQ season?
The latest Meat, Fish and Poultry (MFP) figures from Kantar Worldpanel, published today for the 12 weeks ending 18th July 2015 have seen faster volume growth for Meat & Poultry, with Fish the star performer resisting the deflation that is holding back the rest of the category.
Summer growth for key barbeque categories Burgers & Grills and Sausages has in fact remained constant with similar volumes sold in the last two 12 week periods. Burgers are growing at a slower rate over the Summer, than they are growing across the rest of the year, hamstrung by promotions which are down 9% on last summer. However, the story for sausages looks more positive, as we are seeing volumes up in the latest year with the Summer growth ahead of the annual figure. When we look at an annual consumption picture, we’ve seen nine million less Sausage barbeque occasions, so are shoppers turning to Primary Meat and Poultry or Chilled Fish for the barbeque?
Chilled Fish growth continues to be driven by shoppers buying more often, with consumers indicating that they are turning to Chilled Fish as a quick meal which is easy to prepare. Nathan Ward, Business Unit Director for Meat, Fish & Poultry explains ‘Chilled Fish continues to fight deflation with prices rising at an almost double digit rate in the premium categories of Added Value and Shellfish - only Natural Fish is seeing the effects of deflation. 16.8 million shoppers bought Chilled Fish in the last 12 weeks, with Empty Nesters and Retired shoppers accounting for 52% of those shoppers.’
Deflation remains the key trend in Fresh Meat and Poultry, with only Beef seeing value increase ahead of volume. Beef is seeing value growth driven by the product mix in the category, with the more premium products of Steaks and Marinades performing well and cheaper products performing worse. Poultry is seeing the strongest deflation with prices down 6.1%, driven by a slight change in mix and prices on promotion falling. Lamb & Pork continue to struggle in both value and volume terms.
The next data release will be out in 4 weeks time, will Summer have ended by then or will the predicted August heatwave help drive a BBQ renaissance?
