Whether eating at home or dining in a restaurant, the consumer’s appetite for beef remains strong.¹ And while foodservice beef sales declined sharply during the pandemic, sales in both dollars and volume have rebounded to surpass pre-pandemic levels of 2019.² Foodservice occupies a majority of beef sales with 57% of beef sales occurring away from home.³ This market is a critical segment of the supply chain and provides tremendous opportunities for increased beef sales. 

Foodservice beef sales by volume and value are projected to increase through 2027. In 2021, foodservice beef sales totaled 6.9 billion pounds and $31.7 billion. Those numbers are expected to increase to 9.4 billion pounds and $51.9 billion by 2027.⁴ 

The supply chain and market research teams at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor of the Beef Checkoff, partnered with Restaurant Business magazine to host a “Today’s Beef Consumer” webinar for foodservice, retail and distribution representatives. The most current data was presented about what’s driving consumer purchase behavior, perceptions, and beef trends in foodservice. Foodservice decision makers gained valuable insights equipping them with the information they need to sell more beef. 

“It is really important to share information about beef with our supply chain partners so that they know beef is a versatile product that can increase their sales,” said Trey Mosier, director of foodservice engagement at NCBA. “Building relationships with foodservice partners is critical to expanding sales of beef in the away-from-home market.” 

This joint effort brought the supply chain and market research teams together to share the most current consumer data with this broad influential audience. More than 450 people registered for the event and attendees were engaged throughout the presentation, asking thoughtful questions, and demonstrating support for beef farmers and ranchers. 

Beef continues to perform better than chicken when it comes to taste, and beef currently holds a slight advantage over chicken in terms of consumer perception of nutritional value.⁵ In addition, consumers continue to perceive beef as a great source of protein.⁵ 

According to Haden Comstock, associate director of market intelligence and tracking at NCBA, while beef demand remains strong, macro-economic factors such as consumers saving less and accumulating more credit card debt, and persistently elevated inflation rates signal that demand may soften in the future. For consumers, cost is becoming more important than convenience, and while they are not eliminating beef, their purchasing preferences are transitioning to more economical cuts. Webinar presenters suggested that restaurants emphasize those cuts and create a unique dining experience to keep beef on plates. 

The webinar resulted in increased engagement with companies wanting to know how they can leverage a relationship with the beef industry to sell more beef in their operations. Restaurant Business stated that this was one of their best-performing webinars they’ve ever had in terms of registration and engagement, expressing, “This live event exceeded expectations for all our webinar metrics!” 

Webinars continue to be valuable sources of information for supply chain partners as they make business and buying decisions. NCBA will offer more Checkoff-funded virtual educational opportunities in the future to build demand for beef with foodservice and retail operators. 

Watch the webinar and learn about “Today’s Beef Consumer” at https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/foodservice/todays-beef-consumer-webinar. 

1 USDA, Economic Research Service, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bekkerman et al. 2019
2 GlobalData, Beef Produce by Channel in U.S.,2019-2023
3 NielsenIQ, Discover, 2022 Retail Beef Sales
4 GlobalData, Beef Product by Channel in U.S., 2019-2027
5 Consumer Beef Tracker, 2018-2022