Traditional Meat and Meat Products Market

Market Overview

Traditional meat and meat products in China was accounted for 152.2 million tons in 2017 and is expected to reach 179.6 million tons by 2026 at a CAGR of 2.3%.

In the last few years, the traditional meat and meat products market has been witnessing considerable growth in the consumption of chicken, beef, and pork meat products. This can be attributed to the increased urbanization and high disposable income of the consumers across the globe. However, the consumption of meat products is highly dependent on livestock production, living standards, consumer diet, income, and macroeconomic uncertainty.  

Meat is one of the major food products consumed across the western countries and the rest half of the world. The traditional meat and meat products market grabs one of the major market shares of the food industry. The import-export and production of meat products are strictly regulated by several food authorities. For instance, the US FDA, and FAO are two such authorities involved in the management and recording of the production and consumption of meat and meat-related products in various countries.  

Globally, China is one of the major meat consumers and is likely to continue the same during the forecast period. The food consumption patterns have been transforming profusely in China due to increasing urbanization and growing middle-class population. In the last few decades, China has successfully managed to become a major importer of meat, which is further adding fuel to the market growth.

Market Dynamics

The meat industry has been providing a livelihood for millions of people and is aiding in reducing the food scarcity across the globe.

 The market is majorly driven by the improving standard of living, increasing disposable income, reducing economic vulnerability, rapidly growing population, sustained economic growth, changing eating habits, improvement in storage practices, and growing awareness about nutritional characteristics of meat products.

Apart from this, the increasing prices of beef are gradually shifting the consumer preference towards chicken and other plant-based meat products in many European countries such as Italy. However, the traditional meat market is witnessing a considerable growth on account of a large supply of natural resources, expansion of grassland, and productivity gains, among others. The transformation of production systems to feedlot is likely to propel the market growth.  

Regional Analysis

Traditional meat and meat products market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

In the last few years, meat consumption has witnessed a significant surge in the U.S. on account of the advancing supply chain.  As per the OECD, the total meat consumption in Canada was around 70 kilograms/capita in 2017, out of which, about 34.89 kilograms/capita was poultry, followed by beef and pork. The Canada traditional meat market has been witnessing considerable growth in the meat demand. This can be attributed to the increasing industrial use of red meat and rising household spending. As per Statistics Canada, over USD 10.1 billion were spent for industrial use. The Mexico traditional meat market has been exhibiting significant growth in the consumption of chicken meat from the last few decades as it is one of the most affordable means of animal protein. Turkey remains the seasonal food item, typically consumed during the traditional holiday and events.

From the last few years, the pork meat consumption in Germany has been declining steadily due to rising awareness among the consumers regarding animal agriculture and its negative effect on the environment and increased consumption of plant-based foods, which is projected to hamper the market growth in the years to come.  

Spain is one of the major consumers of meat and meat products. On average, a Spanish consumer spends over 25% of the spending on meat products. Additionally, it is one of the major meat suppliers in Asia. As per the European Commission, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Poland, the Netherlands, and Denmark are some of the major producers of meat in the traditional meat and meat products market. Collectively, the countries account for about 77% of the total slaughter in the European Union.

In Japan, the chicken segment is dominating the traditional meat market on account of rising concerns about health and rapidly growing urbanization. According to Japan’s Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corporation (ALIC), the total consumption of pork, beef, and chicken was predicted to be around 4.75 million tons in 2017 and is estimated to grow by 3.4% during the forecast period. The Japan meat market is majorly driven by the rising disposable incomes, increasing number of convenience stores and supermarkets, and easy trade regulation policies.

Australia's traditional meat and meat products market has been witnessing a significant change in the consumption pattern over the last two decades. This can be attributed to the growing consumption of chicken & pork and increasing health-conscious population. Globally, Australia was one of the leading beef consumers. However, beef consumption in Australia decreased by 50% in the last two decades, as per the estimation of the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES). Whereas, the total consumption of chicken and pork doubled and tripled respectively, which in to fuel the market growth in the years to come.

Segmental Analysis

Traditional meat and meat products market is segmented into ground beef, steak, other cuts of beef, ground pork, ham, bacon, Italian sausages, brats, chorizo, ground chicken, chicken deli, poultry cuts, ground turkey, turkey deli, shrimp, salmon, fishes, smoked and cured fish, kielbasa, pepperoni, meatballs, and salami.

The ground beef segment is projected to witness significant growth in the traditional meat and meat products market on the basis of changing consumer eating habits and rising consumption of red meat for protein.   

The swine production holds the major storage space of the animal husbandry. In the last few years, the upward trend in the swine production is subsequently rising the demand for pork meat products such as bacon, ham, and sausages, and fresh pork meat, thereby, increasing the share of pork meat products in the traditional meat and meat products market.

Ground chicken is witnessing substantial growth in the market due to reducing prices of feed and growing awareness about food safety.

The traditional meat market is witnessing high demand for chicken, especially broiler chicken, because of their nutritional characteristics, lower prices, and moderate household income.