Despite price increases, consumers are spending a lot of money on food and beverage, with consumer spending in the category reaching $1.69 trillion last year.

Circana retail sales data analysis of September 2025 meat department sales found inflation across a number of proteins fueling an overall increase of 5.4% for meat and poultry prices.

Through September, total retail food and beverage unit sales for 2025 were up slightly (+0.7%) but fell to zero gains in the third quarter. In September, dollar sales growth slowed to 2%, while unit sales declined 0.5%.

While cost concerns have consumers cooling on restaurant spending, they are shifting their purchases to more affordable options, Melissa Rodriguez, Circana principal, said during a recent Meat Institute webinar, noting that 41% of adults say they want more protein in their diet.

Consumers continue prioritizing convenience as well, with Circana research suggesting more than half of dinner occasions require less than 15 minutes of preparation, attracting more consumers to the value-added meat category. Consumer demand for grinds grew $2 billion over the last year, Rodriguez said.

She noted beef sirloin, chicken thighs, beef ribeye, dinner sausage, pork ribs and dried meat snacks also are standing out as popular meat products with consumers.

Circana notes that ground beef sales have been extremely strong all year, with September seeing the category bring $ 1.4 billion in sales, up 13% year-on-year. While mostly price driven, pounds sold for ground beef also grew slightly (1%). Though much smaller in volume, ground chicken boasted a strong 27.8% increase in sales

Beef’s reign continues, generating $3.4 billion in September 2025, up by double digits in dollar sales while pound sales grew 1.9%. Only chicken had higher pound gains in September, up 3.5%. In the full-year view, beef volume sales grew 5.3%, distantly followed by chicken, at 3.1%.

"Beef is not just having a moment, it is growing a momentum,” Anne-Marie Roerink, principal, 210 Analytics, said during a presentation at Certified Angus Beef’s Beef Bash 2025 event in Austin, Texas. “We're seeing very high consumption of beef across all areas of the country, all demographics.”

Clean-label momentum

Circana research finds more brands and retailers are announcing the removal of select artificial ingredients and additives from their products.

Valerie Rasmussen, vice of marketing and communications for Country Natural Beef, said the marketer of beef produced using regenerative practices and no antibiotics or added growth hormones or promotants continues to see an interesting dynamic in the beef market right now.

“Many shoppers are trading down on their grocery list in order to save money,” Rasmussen said. “But there is another segment of shoppers who refuse to compromise their values when it comes to their core purchases and staples.”

She said beef is a rare opportunity to align the self-care aspects of flavorful protein with more altruistic purchase drivers like animal welfare, sustainability and supporting local communities.

“Despite higher overall prices, Country Natural Beef ranchers are seeing shoppers that align with our mission of doing better for people, planet and animals, even in times of higher prices,” she said.

The GLP-1Effect

Consumer adoption of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs is changing the eating habits of millions of Americans. Recent research published by the Beef Checkoff indicates that while these households spend slightly less on groceries and dining out, they prioritize protein-rich purchases such as beef.

Rasmussen said consumers -- especially health-conscious consumers -- are interested in where their food comes from, even as they become more budget-conscious.

“Recent trend reports have indicated we may have peaked on the protein craze,” she said. “I would argue that natural protein-rich, nutrient-dense foods will never go out of style. In fact, many see food purchases as an investment in their families’ long-term health.”

Foodservice inspiration

The ongoing trend of consumers seeking to re-create at home new flavors and culinary styles they’ve enjoyed at foodservice is spotlighting global comfort foods -- from Caribbean dishes like Jamaican oxtail to Japanese beef sandos -- that deliver bold, high-impact flavors while using less-common, more economical cuts, Rasmussen said.

“These dishes are exciting because they combine global inspiration with sustainability through whole-animal utilization,” she said. “As dining out costs rise, consumers are re-creating restaurant experiences at home, and these globally inspired, value-forward beef dishes fit perfectly. At the same time, trends around “food as medicine” are influencing shoppers who want meals that feel both nourishing and authentic.”

Consumer research from FMI – The Food Industry Association reveals a significant shift in consumer dining habits: Consumers are increasingly choosing deli-prepared foods in place of restaurant meals, with this share more than doubling from 12% in 2017 to 28% in 2025.

FMI research finds more than half of Americans (53%) are taking a hybrid approach to meal creation, combining deli-prepared options with foods from their own kitchen.

"This shift reflects how shoppers are redefining value in food," said Allison Febrey, senior manager, research and insights at FMI. "They want meals that deliver on quality and variety but also save time and money. This trend is substantiated by the steady growth in retail foodservice dollar sales rising 1.6% to $52.1 billion over the past 12 months.”