PODCAST: UK Beef Chats Episode 11

This week on UK Beef Chats, Market Reporter Mike Nesbitt explains the uptick in seasonal demand for the summer months, touches on the reopening of dining across the UK, and more!

How COVID-19 has Changed Eating Out Over the Last 12 Months In the UK

It’s 12 months since the UK’s first COVID-19 lockdown, and one of the sectors that has been most heavily impacted is hospitality. Here, The NPD Group picks out eight eating out/eating in trends from the pandemic’s first year (March 2020 to February 2021) and suggests how they will unfold as lockdown eases. From a surge in home deliveries to the growth of collection, the rise of eating on a deal, the surge of drive-thru, treating to beat boredom, a doubling of choosing vegan and veggie options, the rise of al fresco dining and a laser-like focus on delivering the best customer service, here’s how COVID-19 has changed the way we eat out (and in).

Delivery: In the 12 months of COVID, delivery’s share of out of home eating has more than doubled

Ordering takeaway main meals for home delivery has been a big part of locked down life and, according to The NPD Group’s consumer data, spend increased...

PODCAST: UK Beef Chats Episode 9

This week on UK Beef Chats, Mike Nesbitt fills us in on the upward momentum of the UK beef market due to demand and supply speculation. He also gives us a look at the categories most affected by this bullish market.

PODCAST: UK Beef Chats Episode 7

This week on UK Beef Chats, Mike Nesbitt fills us in on the UK's plan to ease COVID lockdown restrictions, the affect that will have on wholesale trading, and gives us an update on...

Beef Quarterly Q1 2021: New Drivers in Cattle Innovation

Increasing awareness of the need to improve environmental and social outcomes, together with a growing appetite from investors in animal protein, are creating new opportunities and growth in cattle innovation.

“We believe that research and innovation in the beef industry will continue to evolve but we are currently enabled by two main catalysts that will stimulate this further. Firstly, new investors in the space and secondly, the sustainability drive that not only seeks production improvements but also creates...

PODCAST: UK Beef Chat Episode 4

This week Mike Nesbitt and Jay Alletto are joined by fellow beef market reporters Joe Muldowney, Bill Smith and Gary Morrison. They discuss Valentine's Day's affect on the beef supply chain and...

Issa Brothers and TDR Capital Complete the Acquisition of Asda from Walmart

Walmart Inc., Asda Group Limited, the Issa brothers and TDR Capital have announced that the Issa brothers, founders and co-CEOs of EG Group, a global convenience and forecourts retailer, headquartered in Blackburn, UK, and investment funds managed by TDR Capital LLP, a leading UK-based private equity firm, have completed the acquisition of Asda, Walmart’s wholly-owned UK business, for an enterprise value of £6.8 billion, on a debt-free and cash-free basis.

The Issa brothers and TDR Capital have acquired a majority ownership stake in Asda, while Walmart will...

Londoners Driving Trend for Delivery of Snacks and Coffee

There’s a new food trend emerging in the capital. Latest analysis from The NPD Group shows a significant rise in families in London ordering snacks and coffee delivered to their home. Demand from families for snacking delivered by foodservice operators and delivery platforms like UberEats and Deliveroo increased strongly, up +95% in London in 2020 versus 2019. This is significantly ahead of the +11% increase in orders placed by families across the country as a whole.

London currently represents one quarter of the UK’s snacking via delivery market. Dominic Allport, Insights Director (Foodservice), The NPD Group says “During 2020, London was the only region to see a rise in snacking via delivery. The main reason is the greater use of delivery subscriptions such as...

Livekindly Collective Expands Its Brand Portfolio With the Acquisition of Iceland Foods’ No Meat

LIVEKINDLY Collective, a collection of heritage and start-up brands, announced the acquisition of No Meat, Iceland Foods’ vegan meat alternative company.

“This acquisition is very complementary to our current portfolio further strengthening our position in the frozen sector of the fast-growing plant-based meat category", says Domenico Speciale, General Manager for LIVEKINDLY Collective in the UK. "No Meat has been such an incredible success with...

Meat Industry Reacts to President-Elect Biden's Choice for U.S. Trade Representative

President-elect Joe Biden announced he will nominate House Ways and Means Committee trade lawyer Katherine Tai as U.S. trade representative. Tai’s career at USTR began in 2007 as an associate general counsel. In 2014, she was named chief counsel for China trade enforcement, overseeing disputes between Washington and Beijing at the World Trade Organization. She left that role in 2014 to join House Ways and Means and in 2017 was named chief trade lawyer for Chair Richard Neal (D-MA).

The North American Meat Institute supports the choice. Tai, who would become the first Asian American to hold the role of USTR, speaks fluent mandarin and has experience as...

UK Government Consults on Ending Live Animal Exports for Slaughter

Plans to ban the export of live animals for slaughter and fattening have been unveiled by the Environment Secretary today, in the start of a renewed push by government to strengthen the UK’s position as a world leader on animal welfare.

These proposals form part of an eight-week consultation, launched in England and Wales, seeking views on how to better protect animal welfare during transport.

Live animals commonly have to endure excessively long journeys during exports, causing...

UK Restaurants Look Set to Recover as Consumers Still Prefer to Dine Out

The NPD Group says amid the severe and unprecedented COVID-19 business pressures affecting Britain’s out-of-home (OOH) foodservice industry, the delivery channel has been a welcome success story. Comparing the January-to-October period this year with the same period in 2019, delivery is up 14% in visit terms to 804 million and has seen a 40% increase in spend to £5.7 billion. However, although delivery has met a need during this unprecedented period of enforced home living, working and entertaining, NPD’s research shows... 

UK Consumer Spending to Fall by Nearly 14.9% in 2020

Total UK consumer spending is expected to fall by a staggering £183.6 billion (14.9%) this year due to the COVID-19-induced lockdowns, according to new research from Mintel’s flagship British Lifestyles report. This equates to a drop in spending of around £6,600 per household – with the biggest decreases occurring in the transport, foodservice, and holiday industries. Consumer spending in these three categories will fall by an astonishing £140.1 billion in total, or just over £5,000 per household – representing around 77% of the overall decline in consumer spending this year.

But it seems there is light at the end of the tunnel for these three categories as they are expected to bounce back the strongest in 2021: spending on transport will increase by...

WATCH: Protein Industry Insights on the UK Beef Market 

With Brexit trade talks still somewhat in limbo, the UK Beef market sits at a crucial juncture. While an air of uncertainty continues to circulate, recent trade deals with the US holds significant potential for the UK beef trade. Despite pockets of optimism, there is a genuine concern a second wave of infections may hinder processing, although output remains steady for the time being.

Our Beef Market Reporters Joe Muldowney and Michael Nesbitt came together for this eye-opening chat on Brexit, US/UK Trade deals, Coronavirus' effect on the beef market...

Rabobank: Pork Quarterly Q4 2020: Export Concentration a Potential Long-Term Risk

Global pork demand rebounded following Covid-19 disruption in most geographies, yet supply remains constrained in many Asian markets. This imbalance continues to support strong export demand from the rest of the world, resulting in sharply higher pork values.

Globally, processors’ ability to respond also remains constrained by labor availability, which limits packer capacity and efficiency. In Europe, new African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks add further limitations. “Hog producers face a challenging outlook, given rising feed costs, weaker economic trends, and slower export growth as China...

Rabobank: Lack of Trade Deal Will Hit EU-UK Food and Agriculture Trade Hard 

The absence of an EU-UK trade deal on January 1, 2021 would cause significant economic losses on both sides for companies active in food & agriculture supply chains. The British prime minister, Boris Johnson, warned the world to prepare for a hard Brexit scenario. We therefore urge companies in the food supply chain to be prepared for loss of export and import opportunities and for a future in which additional efforts and administrative costs will have to be made to continue any remaining cross-border trade.

The Hard Brexit Becoming Reality After All

As Rabobank wrote in January 2019 in the note “Consequences of a ‘Hard Brexit’ for Food & Agribusiness: EU Market Closes for UK, While UK Will See Food Price Inflation,” a hard Brexit would hit EU-UK trade in...

First Exports of UK Beef To the USA in 20 Years Underway

The first shipments of UK beef are to depart for the USA today, marking a historic moment for UK farmers and food producers.

Following the USA’s longstanding ban on EU beef – introduced in the wake of the BSE outbreak in 1996 – market access for UK beef was granted in March 2020. UK beef producers now have access to the US market for the first time in over 20 years.

Today’s news means the sector can now begin to reap the economic benefits of trade with the US – with industry estimating beef exports will be worth £66 million over the next...

McDonald's to Test Reusable Cup Model for Hot Beverages 

McDonald’s Corporation has announced a global partnership with TerraCycle’s circular packaging service, Loop, to test a new reusable cup model for hot beverages. The initiative, which will first be trialed in 2021 across select McDonald’s restaurants in the UK, helps customers enjoy their favorite McDonald’s hot drink in a reusable cup, while cutting down on packaging waste. The model marks significant progress toward innovative circular packaging solutions that help protect the planet for communities today, and in the future.

This unique new partnership will conveniently allow customers to reduce waste by choosing a durable Loop-created cup, for a small deposit. The deposit can then be redeemed by returning the cup to participating McDonald’s UK restaurants in order to be...

Rabobank Beef Quaterly Q3 2020: New Faces Shaping Future UK Beef Imports 

Once outside the European bloc, the UK is expected to become the fifth or sixth largest beef-importing country. Consumer acceptance and non-tariff barriers will play significant roles in determining which countries ultimately supply the UK beef market in the future.

Brexit trade talks between the UK and EU continue to progress. “While pure economic reasoning and geopolitics normally play strong roles in trade negotiations, we believe that, in the case of the UK, consumer acceptance and non-tariff barriers will be equally significant in determining...

Urner Barry to Offer New Market Coverage of UK Beef Trade

First of its kind coverage of the UK beef market will include quotations, news and analysis

Urner Barry, the leading provider of protein market news and information in the food industry, is pleased to announce a brand-new coverage area with the launch of a UK beef market report.

Adding to the timely, accurate and unbiased reporting on the U.S. beef market, Urner Barry will now offer coverage of the beef trade in the United Kingdom. This initiative provides transparency and insight into international market dynamics at a time when information is more critical than ever.

"We are excited for the opportunity to invest in the UK beef industry and continue our tradition of helping people make better trading decisions by providing independent, accurate and timely market information,” said Urner Barry CEO Joe Muldowney. “We're grateful for the incredible support we've seen so far from the U.K. on this endeavor and look forward to...

Consumers Are Eager to Dine Out and Support Local

Fatigued by cooking at home, consumers are anxious to dine at their favorite restaurants according to a new Oracle Food and Beverage study. The survey found that 59% of US and 47% of UK consumers plan to dine-out as soon as they are able. In fact, as soon as it's deemed safe to reopen, 26% of US respondents and 14% of the UK said they plan to return in the first week.

Diners are looking for reassurance on cleaning procedures and technology to reduce contact with servers. Forty percent of those surveyed in the US and 39% in the UK said they would feel safer if they could view the menu from their mobile device, while...

Mintel: A Quarter of British Millennials Say COVID-19 has Made a Vegan Diet More Appealing 

The prospect of a diet packed with chickpeas, lentils, and quinoa appears to be more tempting as of late, as new research from Mintel reveals that a quarter (25%) of young British Millennials (aged 21-30) say that the COVID-19 pandemic has made a vegan diet more appealing.

These plant-loving Millennials are not alone, as the research reveals that a vegan diet is proving more attractive to over one in ten (12%) of all Brits, rising to almost a quarter (22%) of Londoners, since the start of the pandemic.

This comes as Mintel research indicates there is a strong belief in the healing power of plants, as half of Brits (51%) believe plant/botanical ingredients (eg herbs, spices) can have...

Mintel: UK Online Grocery will Grow by Around 33% in 2020

The latest research from Mintel reveals the online grocery market is forecast to grow by 33% in 2020 to reach an estimated value of £16.8 billion, up from £12.7 billion in 2019. This phenomenal rise follows four consecutive years of slowing growth: in 2019 growth fell to a historic low of just 2.9%. The market is set to be worth £17.9 billion by 2024, growing by 41% over the five year period.

Online shopping behaviour as a whole

This comes as Mintel reveals a dramatic change in online shopping habits over the COVID-19 lockdown period, habits that Mintel believes could prove lasting. In the very early days of the spread of the coronavirus in the UK, before social distancing measures were announced, 7% of Brits...