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Meat Market Report Spring 2025 The Spring Market Report combines the knowledge of our buying experts and sales teams with industry insights from AHDB to provide you with the most current information on the meat market. We aim to provide you with information to assist you with your menu development and innovation, and always welcome feedback on our communications. Neil McCole, Director of Sales At the time of writing, we’re optimistic about some upcoming sunshine and a potentially busy spring and summer ahead. After a challenging winter for the industry, where foot traffic remained stagnant compared to last year largely due to the cost of living, we are hopeful for an improvement in trade. Food costs continue to strengthen with little or no sign of any respite within the sector where we are witnessing all-time high cattle prices and low availability as highlighted below. The rising costs of servicing, spurred by budget constraints, are now impacting every business. These expenses are quickly being transferred to consumers, as no company can afford to absorb them, resulting in yet another perfect storm. Trends continue to show that our customers are spending less, with many establishments remaining closed 2/3 days per week, working on reduced menu offerings, or removing prime cuts from their menus. Trends also show that many consumers are now choosing to dine out once a month, as an example, rather than two or three times, however, are prepared to pay a little more for the experience. Whilst trading is expected to remain challenging, Campbell Brothers remain committed to all our clients, working in partnership and sharing ideas to help with your margins without compromising quality or service. We have a team of experts at hand to help - please reach out. Neil’s top tip for Spring: With meat costs at an all-time high, clients are asking daily for our help and advice. Some clients who historically produced a beef steak pie are now producing a chicken pie. Those that produced a chicken breast pie, are now utilising chicken thigh to produce their dish. We are seeing a surge in sales on our ‘PIG burger’ which is featuring on more menus, replacing the traditional steak burger as beef prices continue to rise steeply. Please discuss with your representative should you wish to try our ‘PIG burger’ with which we have developed in conjunction with Marco Pierre White. Thank you ! As always, we thank you for your continued support, particularly during these ongoing challenging times in the food industry. Neil McCole, Director of Sales – Campbell Brothers www.campbellbrothers.co.uk