Supermarkets should put more mini joints on shelves to counter flagging demand for beef and lamb roasting cuts as shoppers shun the Sunday roast, AHDB has warned.
Beef roasting spend fell 6.4% to £417.3m on volumes down 4.6% over the past 12 months, while lamb shoulder roasting spend was down 7.9% to £65.3m on volumes down 10.6%, and lamb shoulder sales rose just 2.7% on flat volumes [Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 11 September 2016].
In contrast, beef mini joint spend surged 19.9% to £22.7m on volumes up 13.7% over the past 12 months, while lamb mini roast spend was up 17.7% to £13.3m on volumes up 14.6%.
Beef and lamb roasting joints have faced dwindling demand in recent years due to the shift away from the Sunday roast, said Matt Southam, multiple retail trade sector manager, AHDB Beef & Lamb.
Mini joints are smaller in size and have a lower price point than standard roasting joints, so they are more appealing to the growing number of one and two-person households in the UK, he added. With an average cooking time of about 30 minutes, they can be used as a mid-week meal option, or even thrown on the BBQ.
“Extending eating occasions for beef and lamb roasting joints is significant due to the decline of the Sunday roast in the home meal occasion,” Southam said.
“By providing opportunities for cuts from the forequarter, mini joints can increase carcase utilisation for the trade. And increasing the number of products from specific primals can increase in increased yield and profitability for both processor and retailer.”
Supermarkets should think about positioning mini joints in ‘meal deal’ type promotion ends to help drive sales of accompanying products and give inspiration to shoppers, he added.
British families consumed 1.4 billion roast dinners last year, up 0.6% on the previous year. This was driven by growth in chicken roast dinners, up 4.2% to 558 million occasions on the back of strong weekday demand [Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 16 July 2016].
Beef and lamb bore the brunt of Brits eating fewer Sunday roasts, with Sunday’s share slipping to just below half (49%) of all roast meals last year. Beef roast occasions were down 5.3% to 249 million, and lamb roast occasions down 9.5% to 128 million last year.
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