Meat Prices are Down. What’s That Mean for Grocery Meat Departments?

<p>By: Laurie Gethin, Director of Education and Rick Stein, Vice President, Fresh Foods, Food Marketing Institute<br /> <img src="http://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/meat-conference-exhibit-floor.tmb-large-350-.jpg?sfvrsn=1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="Meat Conference Exhibit Floor" title="Meat Conference Exhibit Floor" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /></p> <p>It&rsquo;s an upside down world. After years of high prices and volume pressure, price relief is driving a greater willingness for experimentation and premiumization among consumers and providing the industry with opportunities to grow and innovate. As we noted in an earlier post about the <a href="http://www.fmi.org/blog/view/fmi-blog/2016/11/15/winners-and-losers-in-the-grocery-industry-from-deflation">winners and losers from deflation</a>, it is important for food retailers to educate their customers on the advantages of price savings and perhaps no department is better positioned to do this than the meat department. What are some ways to find new meal occasions, drive new product trials, reemphasize protein or move shoppers to higher margin items?</p> <p>The planning committee for the <a href="http://meatconference.com/">Annual Meat Conference</a>, February 19 &ndash; 21 in Dallas, TX, has developed a session lineup that provides robust insight into consumer trends and behavior. After all, when you better understand consumer motivations, you can try and lead instead of follow.</p> <p>Should you be moving more meat promotion to digital platforms? Do Millennials respond to manufacturer brands while meat shopping? When it comes to meat department variety, what are shoppers looking for? Answers to these questions and more will be part of the <a href="http://meatconference.com/program">Power of Meat</a> session, deemed a &ldquo;must attend&rdquo; by the meat industry. During the session, the 12^th annual <a href="http://www.fmi.org/industry-topics/fresh-foods"><em>Power of Meat</em> report</a> will debut, which this year tracks consumer behavior pre-, during and post-economic downturn into the deflationary marketplace.</p> <p>With consumer purchase trends in mind, personalized nutrition is an emerging trend food retailers can use to set themselves apart. More shoppers are focused on their health concerns and many are facing diet-related chronic diseases that force them to rethink their cooking and eating habits. The session <a href="http://meatconference.com/program">Personalized Nutrition- An Industry Disruptor?</a> will help attendees think through how to develop a strategic framework to address this trend with increase sales and profits.</p> <p><img src="http://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/meat-conference-exhibit-floor-tasting.tmb-small.jpg?sfvrsn=1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="Meat Conference Exhibit Floor Tasting" title="Meat Conference Exhibit Floor Tasting" style="float: left; margin: 10px;" />Food retailers also need to know the latest products and meat offerings to entice their shoppers. This year the Annual Meat Conference exhibit floor will be the largest ever, with 87 exhibits on display. Don&rsquo;t miss this chance to see, smell and taste innovative new products.</p> <p>Meat is enormously important to the overall wellness of the grocery store, and optimizing the meat offering will help drive trips, sales and profits across related categories. That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re offering a buy-2-get-1-free deal for FMI Member attendees&mdash;purchase two registrations for the Annual Meat Conference and you&rsquo;ll receive a third registration for free.</p> Learn more and sign up to join us in Dallas at <a href="http://www.meatconference.com/">www.MeatConference.com</a>.&nbsp;