Cash-strapped as the cost-of- living issue worsens, it appears that Britons are skipping pricey pieces of meat and seafood in an effort to save money.
Only chicken has witnessed an increase in spending over the previous 12 weeks, and it is only a 0.6% gain in volume sales compared to the same period last year. This is because prices have skyrocketed.
Some households might be substituting less expensive chicken alternatives for more expensive slices, according to speculation.
Year on year comparisons by analysts Kantar for The Grocer show the amount of chicken sold is down 9.7 per cent, compared to falls of 13.7 per cent for beef, 10.6 per cent for pork, 23.7 per cent for lamb and 11.6 per cent for fish.
It is thought millions of families are cutting back on their red meat and fish intake in particular.
A tiny but considerable increase in the value of sales for chicken is the result of figures for spending, which also imply that many people may be switching to less expensive sources of protein.
This comes as spending on beef, pig, lamb, and fish all decreased in value by 7.7%, 5.9%, 14.4%, and 8.0% respectively.
Recent Retail Price Index data for food purchased by typical consumers revealed that the average cost of a roasting joint of beef had increased by 9.8% to £11.34 over the year to April while the cost of chicken had increased by 10.4% to £3 per kilo.
Elsewhere, the VoucherCodes.co.uk Food Spend Report reveals that vegans are consistently spending more on groceries, eating out and takeaways than the national average, with a total food spending of £14.02 billion a year (£8,760 per person).
Accordingly, vegan consumers spend twice as much on food annually ($4,488 per person) and nearly a third more than the national average on groceries ($2802 per person).
Additionally, vegetarian customers spend an average of £2,928 per head annually more on groceries than the national average. As a result, vegetarian consumers bring in £4.68 billion for grocery stores each year.
According to the study, consumers who are vegan or vegetarian must pay more for their goods because of meat-free substitutes.
Vegetarians spend an average of £27 per month, while vegans spend an average of £35 per month on goods like Tofu, Quorn, and Seitan. However, the typical meat-eating consumer only spends £21 on meat.
According to Meat Promotion Wales statistics analyst Glesni Phillips, there may be changes in demand for various proteins during times when living standards have been squeezed in the past.
“All proteins are seeing an increase in their average price, although fish continues to be the most costly protein, followed by lamb, while chicken continues to be the least expensive protein, despite one of the highest price increases.
‘Product choice is the main way shoppers are choosing to manage inflation now, and so shoppers are switching between cuts in order to save money.’
Many in the industry believe the falls are not part of the growing vegetarian movement but a reaction to higher prices which is affecting all sectors, not just meat products.
Oils, sauces, spreads, dairy and a host of other products have been affected by price rises caused by runaway inflation particularly to the costs of production because of the war in Ukraine and its effects on energy.
Rebecca Veale of the National Pig Association, added: ‘Knowing that consumers like to buy British pork, we do not believe that any reduction in consumption should displace British product and call on retail and foodservice to champion British meat and pay a fair price for it.
‘In order for British pork to remain on the shelves, a fair price needs to be paid to producers.’