Retail meat and poultry prices have stabilised for the first time since the AIMS inflation report began, as weaker demand from the foodservice sector pushes more supply into supermarkets.

The latest AIMS inflation report for May 2026 found that the average price across beef, lamb, pork and chicken remained unchanged month on month.

AIMS head of communications Tony Goodger said overall prices for beef and pork had fallen, while lamb edged up only slightly. Chicken prices rose 1.95 per cent, driven by an 8.9 per cent increase in diced chicken breast.

“The AIMS inflation report for May 2026 shows that the average price across the four categories, beef, lamb, pork and chicken, remained unchanged for the first time since the report was first published,” Goodger said.

Beef prices fell 0.5 per cent during the month, while pork dropped 1.27 per cent. Lamb rose 0.63 per cent.

AIMS said there had also been a “considerable slowdown” in year-on-year meat and poultry price inflation, with the average across the four categories standing at 2.76 per cent in May.

This was broadly in line with the latest ONS inflation figures for April, which showed annual CPI had risen 2.8 per cent, its lowest level for 13 months.

However, beef and lamb prices remained higher than in April, rising 4.57 per cent and 4.09 per cent respectively.

Goodger said some premium beef cuts were now cheaper than they were a year ago, with rump and sirloin steak prices falling amid weaker demand from the out-of-home sector.

He said this was “almost certainly due to lower demand as a result of a challenging business environment in the out-of-home sector, resulting in higher supply within domestic retail channels”.

The report also pointed to significant falls in pork and chicken prices. Lower prices for pork chops and loin steaks pushed the average price of the eight pork cuts surveyed down 2.64 per cent.

Chicken prices also fell 1.26 per cent on average, helped by reductions in chicken breast portions and thighs, both bone-in and filleted.

Goodger said weaker demand from the broader foodservice market, particularly in school meals and care settings, was helping to create oversupply in retail.

He added that consumers eating out were increasingly switching to cheaper sharing dishes such as pizza or lower-protein meals such as pasta in pubs and restaurants.

“I believe that lower demand from the broader out-of-home market, especially within school meals and care settings, coupled with consumers switching to cheaper sharing dishes such as pizza or lower protein content meals such as pasta at pubs and restaurants, is generating oversupply into the multiple retail sector,” he said.

“This in turn is allowing them to drive further price reductions for budget-conscious consumers.”

AIMS said supermarket bundle deals were also becoming more visible across the meat and poultry category, giving shoppers more opportunities to find value.

“While bundle deals have never really gone away, the frequency of their use within marketing campaigns and the breadth of products to choose from does appear to have increased,” Goodger said.

“I fully believe that consumers who are prepared to split their shop across two or more supermarkets can find some great value in the meat and poultry sectors.”

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