Consumer demand for meat is surging across
New data from the
"This is the most substantial shift I've ever seen,"
According to the IRI report, fresh chicken sales climbed 76.5 percent, while beef was up 73.1 percent and pork was up 89.2 percent.
Ground meats were among the most popular items. Ground beef purchases doubled, bringing in the highest sales in absolute dollars of any meat product, according to the report.
"We're selling everything. You can see that by looking at the empty store meat cases," said
Woodall quickly added that no shortage of beef exists. Chicken and turkey industry groups have said the same about those meats.
That's because the surge in retail demand has been accompanied by an equally drastic decrease in demand from the food service industry.
The problem is simply getting the meat to the right places. The potato industry is experiencing a similar transition.
Diverting meat from food service to retail is not a quick ship to turn. The meat industry is set up to supply roughly an equal mix of retail and food service providers, and those two types of customers require different treatment.
The food service industry needs products in larger volumes than retail outlets. That requires different packaging, which sometimes is performed in different places.
Meat packers across the country are adjusting their production to accommodate the shifted demand, industry representatives said.
"An example of that would be, we may make chicken nuggets for a fast-service restaurant," Martin said. "We might package those chicken nuggets in a 40-pound box. Well, to make it retail friendly, we'd need to switch to putting them in a 1-pound bag that consumers can take home and put in their freezer."
Meanwhile,
"We've simplified the mix of what we produce so we can get it sent out as quickly as possible," Souder said.
For now, meat packing plants are working overtime, adding extra shifts and running on weekends, to restock the nation's grocery stores.
Meat industry groups say they don't know how long retail demand will remain high. At Perdue, officials believe they'll be caught up and have stores restocked within the next couple of weeks, Souder said. Other groups are less sure.
"Hopefully, the initial 'panic buy' is behind us,"
Packing plants are stepping up sanitation efforts and monitoring employees for signs they might be sick.
"The workers are screened for illness, mostly by taking their temperatures," said
"If there is a concern, the worker can be sent home. But, as part of normal food safety procedures, workers wear a lot of protective clothing in plants anyway."
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