KANSAS CITY — In 2023 US consumers can anticipate greater availability of pork, broiler meat and turkey but less beef, which they will have to pay more for than last year. Demand for all animal-based proteins will largely depend on consumer concerns about inflation and whether the US economy has moved into a recession.
Beef demand at retail and foodservice is robust. Beef currently has an advantage over pork and chicken at retail as average retail prices in the second half of 2022 trended below year-ago levels, while pork and chicken prices trended higher. Pork prices even hit a record $5.05 per lb in October, up 4.8% from a year earlier. Beef prices are currently at their most competitive in relation to the competing meats since 2017, but that is likely to change this year.
Consumer demand in the United States for beef, pork and chicken was strong before the onset of the COVID-19…
