Reported November meat sales data show meat department sales were positive and have remained so since Q1 of 2023. In all cases, dollar gains were from a combination of inflation and demand growth. Indeed, meat demand has remained remarkably resilient through 2025. On a per capita basis, chicken was up 4 pounds to 107.2 pounds, pork was up 1.6 pounds to 50.9 pounds, and turkey was up 0.3 pounds to 13.4 pounds. Only beef saw a slip, down 1.5 pounds to 57 pounds, but higher prices made up the greater demand. 

Mirroring the total store patterns, volume sales were off during the first week of November. However, the second and third weeks of the month more than made up for the initial weak start. Volume sales increased nearly 6 percent in t...