Hunger for Protein Fuels Meat Mania

Meat and poultry purchases and consumption have reached an all-time high thanks to a dramatic drop in those trying to avoid meat (from 37% in 2022 to 22% in 2025) coupled with consumers’ ongoing interest in adding protein to their diets, according to new research from FMI, The Food Industry Association. Datassential reports that protein is now the most sought-after healthy descriptor on restaurant menus.

U.S. sales of fresh refrigerated meat and poultry topped $104.6 billion in 2024, and sales of frozen meat and poultry hit $14 billion, per FMI. In addition, Circana reports that 2024 deli-prepared meat and poultry sales were $6.4 billion, up 10.8%.

Beef (especially ground beef), lamb, and exotic meat varieties like bison were standouts in the meat case last year, along with ground turkey and chicken, per FMI. Four in 10 shoppers want a greater variety of ground meats (e.g., sirloin or brisket), 28% want more pre-seasoned ground meat, and one-quarter want more meat/poultry/vegetable blends, FMI reports.

Family-sized Prairie Fresh Boneless Pork Shoulder Roast is dry rubbed with carnitas seasoning. Crossover Quality Meats offers frozen Crossover Blends Chicken + Lamb Patties, Chicken + Pork Patties, and Chicken + Beef Patties.

Red Robin restaurants feature Backyard BBQ Pork Burgers. Subway restaurants offer Doritos Footlong Nachos with the option to add protein—either steak or rotisserie-style chicken. Dickey’s Barbecue Pit announced this spring that its Rancher’s Premium Smokehouse Sausage line was available in Walmart stores. Emmy Squared Pizza restaurants serve a Detroit-style pizza topped with shaved sirloin steak.

Home Plates

The number of home-prepared dinners and home-cooked meals that include a portion of meat or poultry has increased versus a year ago, according to FMI. Of the 4.8 dinners prepared at home each week, 4.2 dinners contain a meat/poultry portion.

At dinner, poultry is the most frequently consumed main dish, followed by mixed cuisine, red meat (including burgers), pasta, soup/chili/stew, sandwiches, pizza, global cuisine, fish/seafood, and pork, according to Circana.

Twenty-two percent of shoppers frequently buy ready-to-eat or pre-prepared, ready-to-cook meat, and 47% do so sometimes, FMI reports. Stir-fry kits from Kevin’s Natural Foods are among the heat-and-serve products that contain a fully cooked protein, a sauce, and a vegetable.

Four in 10 consumers buy value-added meats to try a new flavor, according to flavor supplier T. Hasegawa. Classic homestyle preparations (e.g. beer-battered, Southern style, sweet bourbon) and Japanese and Korean meat dishes are growing in popularity, creating new market opportunities.

Opaa! ReadyCarved Chicken Shawarma from Grecian Delight | Kronos offers a convenient way to sample global meat cuisines. Crazy Cuizine Mandarin Orange Chicken and General Tso’s Chicken come in family-size 42-ounce packages.

With home entertaining accounting for six billion consumer eating occasions last year, according to Circana, expect to see more easy, party-perfect main courses like Tyson Chicken Creme Brie & Apple stuffed chicken breasts.

Small Bites

Consumers are trying to prepare more fast-food favorites at home, so it’s not surprising that unit sales of frozen chicken nuggets jumped by 11.6% for the year ended Feb. 23, 2025; slider sales were up by 13.9%; and sales of breaded chicken patties shot up by 18.9%, per SPINS. Omaha Steaks’ pre-smashed burgers are quick and easy to grill at home.

In 2024, 37% of consumers were looking for more high-protein quick bites instead of larger meals, Circana reports. Tyson introduced Korean BBQ frozen chicken wings and ready-to-cook Savory Basil Pork Loin Bites. Dave’s Hot Chicken introduced Mini Sliders to its lineup. The Jack in the Box chain added Nashville Hot Popcorn Chicken to the menu this spring.

Ruiz Foods’ El Monterey brand has reformulated its Signature Meat Lovers Burritos to include more sausage and bacon. Red’s Meat Lovers Breakfast Burritos made with sausage, egg, cheese, and bacon include 15 grams of protein. Goya has rolled out a new line of frozen empanadas in beef and chicken varieties.

Bao buns were the fastest-growing frozen street food for the year ended Feb. 23, 2025, according to SPINS. Wow Bao introduced a frozen Cheeseburger Bao, and Ling Ling offers pot stickers in a Beef Bulgogi variety.

Wilde Protein Chips are formulated with antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken, egg whites, and bone broth. Chomps meat sticks are made with grass-fed beef, antibiotic-free turkey, and grass-fed venison.

Three-quarters of consumers believe that meat and poultry belong in a healthy diet, up from 64% in 2020, per FMI. In addition, half of consumers believe meat and poultry can help with muscle development, satiety, and weight loss, FMI reports. Not surprisingly, the majority of consumers consider meat and poultry an excellent source of protein. According to FMI, 81% view chicken that way, and 76% think beef is an excellent protein source; for pork, the figure is 53%.

Refrigerated and frozen plant-based meat alternatives posted sales of about $1.1 billion in 2024, down 6.7% in dollar sales versus 2023, with matching declines in units, according to Circana. The number of U.S. households buying plant-based meat dropped by 17.2% last year, FMI reports. Impossible Foods debuted Impossible Steak Bites with a nutrition profile that includes fiber, iron, B vitamins, and 21 grams of protein.

One-third of shoppers say they purchase meat and poultry with production-related claims, such as organic, grass-fed, or no antibiotics ever, frequently or whenever possible, according to FMI. Circana reports that unit sales of organic meat and poultry climbed by 17% in 2024, topping $3.1 billion, and sales of grass-fed meat products reached $1.8 billion, with unit sales growth of 31.8%.

Diestel Family Ranch offers frozen Primal Blend Ground Turkey with just three ingredients: pasture-raised turkey, turkey heart, and turkey liver. Charcutnuvo claims to have launched the first Regenerative Organic Certified sausages, bratwurst, and frankfurters.

For those seeking to add more meat to the menu, options abound, and it’s likely that additional market opportunities exist for innovative, easy-to-prepare meat and poultry products.ft