Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 2/22/11

Buying meat and poultry products at supermarkets has reached a “new balance,” according to the Power of Meat Survey 2011, with consumers spending more overall but changing their cost-cutting methods.

Net grocery spending rose by some 2 percent over 2010, the first increase in three years, according to a summary of the survey, published today by the Food Marketing Institute and the American Meat Institute at their Annual Meat Conference in Dallas.

The share of shoppers who cut total food spending (restaurant and grocery combined) fell 17 percent from a year ago. Meanwhile, also down for the second straight year – to 36 percent from 51 percent in 2009 -- was the share of shoppers who’ve changed their meat and poultry purchases as a result of the recession.

The study reveals a troubling trend, however, away from money-saving methods like using coupons and buying meat in bulk to cutting out some items altogether, or “a change in the way money savers attack their grocery bill that points at some promotion fatigue.”

Shoppers who said they are buying less spend about $14 less than the national weekly grocery bill average, according to the summary. “For retailers, elimination of items rather than substitution is a dangerous development,” it states. “Shoppers are also less interested in family packs and report that more substantial discounts are needed to prompt them to purchase in bulk.”

Still, there were other signs of market recovery. While chicken and beef continue to stake their claim on the dinner plate, this year’s survey noted an increase in heat-and-eat meats while fresh-meat sales stayed flat, indicating a shift from saving to convenience for some shoppers.

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