Meat’s role as a central part of Americans’ diets has been challenged in the past few years: linked to poor health and chronic diseases, implicated in climate change and attacked on animal welfare grounds.

Despite that ongoing trend, meat is muscling its way back to the center of the plate as a must-have at Americans’ mealtimes.

Meat sales achieved a record high in 2024, and Americans view meat as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle, according to consumer research in the 2025 Power of Meat analysis unveiled at the Annual Meat Conference in Orlando, Fla.

Meat sales hit a record high of $104.6 billion in 2024, and pounds sold increased 2.3% compared to 2023. Consumers on average purchase meat more than once per week, according to Circana retail sales data analysis. The meat department reigns as the largest fresh department in grocery, according to the Power of Meat report. This growth was driven by strong consumer demand. While the overall meat department saw significant gains, some products, such as grinds in general and ground beef in particular, experienced healthy increases in value, while other cuts like roasts and briskets experienced declines.

So how is this favorable market climate playing out for the Top 100 Top 100 Meat & Poultry Processors? Mostly in incremental changes to the rankings compared with the prior couple of years. As always, the Top 100 Top 100 Meat & Poultry Processors rankings are estimated from company reports or other financial published data. If your company would like to be considered for the 2026 Top 100 Report, email Chief Editor Fred Wilkinson at wilkinsonf@bnpmedia.com.

www.provisoneronline.com   |  May 2025