A new joint study by the American Meat Institute and the Food Marketing Institute, finds that the recession is continuing to impact food purchasing and consumption behavior, including the meat department.

While meat consumption measured in tonnage was up significantly in 2009, the dollars are lagging behind as shoppers opt for cheaper cuts and prices dropped in 2009.  Forty percent of shoppers say they have changed the way they purchase meat and poultry compared to before the recession, down from 51 percent in 2009. This is also significantly less than the 50 percent who are spending less on groceries overall, signifying the strength of meat and poultry in the total food consumption.

Yet, the impact of income cannot be underestimated as 62 percent of shoppers who saw a significant drop in household income have altered their meat shopping. More customers are also cooking at home versus eating out, leading to an increase in meat purchases at supermarkets and other retail outlets.