OXON Hill, Md. —  The Power of Meat report is a little like the meat and poultry industry’s State of the Union address, and the survey’s 21st anniversary finds Americans view meat as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

"There was no other department that was bigger or grew more than the meat department,” said Anne-Marie Roerink, principal at 210 Analytics, as she walked the crowd through key insights from the 2026 Power of Meat retail report on March 2, 2026, during the Annual Meat Conference. "Animal protein was just absolutely popular across the board.”

Meat sales hit a record high of $112 billion in 2025, with a volume increase (pounds sold) of 2% driven by Millennials and Gen Z, according to the 2026 Power of Meat report.

Developed in close cooperation with every link in the meat and poultry supply chain, the 2026 Power of Meat report analysis of Circana retail sales data finds grocery store meat departments have been attracting more shoppers, for more frequent trips and a higher spend per trip.

Key findings from the 2026 Power of Meat report:

• The meat department ranks as the MVP of the grocery store, posting stronger annual dollar sales growth (6.8% year-over-year) than any other section of the store.
• 25% of Millennials and Gen Z consumers upped their meat and poultry consumption in 2025. "We are seeing a demographic tidal wave coming at us with a changing of the guard," Roerink said regarding the growing influence of younger generations of consumers. Millennials and Gen Z consumers account for around two-thirds of new unit sales growth. "In two years, for the first time in three decades, Boomers are not going to be our majority spender but Millennials will — and with that everything changes: They buy different species and types of meat. They create completely different meals with the items they buy."
• Ground beef boasted the strongest dollar sales growth year-over-year (14.7%) in 2025 at $17.4 billion, the strongest growth across 85,000 retail grocery subcategories. Grinds overall exhibited strong sales. "We're seeing tremendous growth in ground chicken, pork, ground lamb, and of course all of that has to do with — yes, the economy — but also our demographic tidal wave,' Roerink said..
• Prices are a continuing cause for concern, with 92% of consumers surveyed saying they are concerned about grocery pricing. The average price per unit for meat products overall was up almost 5% year-over-year.
• 77% of US consumers say meat and poultry are part of a healthy diet, up from 64% in 2020, with 68% saying meat is a non-negotiable priority. "Health used to be not a great driver of sales for us, but boy has that changed," Roerink said. More than 90% of consumers say protein is very or somewhat important to them, and more than 40% say they are eating more protein than they were five years ago..
• Fresh meat sales were almost $80 billion, up more than 9% from year-ago levels.
• Fresh beef remained king in dollar sales, rising 12.4% to $45.1 billion while pounds sold rose 4.3%. “We’re going to continue to see strength for beef,” Roerink said.
• Frozen meat sales rose 7.3% to $15.1 billion. “Frozen meat is now bigger than seafood, which has never happened before," she said.
• Processed meats saw modest sales growth of 1.4% overall, as pounds sold slipped -0.5% compared with year-ago levels. Sausage — both breakfast and dinner — were strong performers in the processed meats category, Roerink said.
• Jerky and meat sticks have enjoyed double-digit sales growth, with dollar sales up 11.3% to $6.4 billion.
• 9% of fresh meat sales are value-added (pre-marinated, seasoned, patties, etc.)
• The tide for plant-based meat alternatives is receding, with dollar sales of $276 million down -11.1% year-over-year.