The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) anticipates an increase in sales of red meat and dairy products as street parties and BBQs are being organized up and down the UK in celebration of the special occasion. Last year’s Platinum Jubilee festivities brought about a spike in dairy and meat purchases, with an additional 724,000L of fresh cream and 228,000kg of cheese sold, representing a 33% and 28% increase, respectively, compared to an average week in 2022. Meat purchases also noticed an uptick, with sausage rolls up 30% in volume, pork pie purchases up by 28%, and sausages sales increasing by 9%.
Seasonal celebrations such as Christmas, Halloween, and Easter present significant opportunities for the retail and foodservice sectors, resulting in upticks in sales and new product launches. AHDB research shows a sales increase of approximately 22% around Christmas, 7% at Easter, and 4% on Halloween in the UK. Shoppers, however, generally cherish an excuse to party, with ad-hoc events and celebrations like coronations and Jubilees leading to a boost in food sales.
Meanwhile, King Charles III’s celebratory dish of choice, the Coronation Quiche, is a dairy-rich recipe featuring butter, milk, double cream, and cheddar cheese. A potential surge in dairy purchases would be welcome by dairy producers, who have been confronting a cost-of-living crisis, with consumers trading down in dairy products. According to an AHDB and YouGov survey in November 2022, price increases have prompted 57% of shoppers to opt for cheaper dairy products.
According to Kantar’s retail price tracker, dairy prices in Britain have continued to increase slightly in March, with branded milk (including milk alternatives), butter, and yogurt volumes decreasing significantly compared to private-label products. In cheese, while overall volumes experienced a marginal decline, branded cheddar was down by 14.4% compared to a growth of 5.3% in sales of private label cheddar.
Therefore, with the festive season just around the corner and the Jubilee celebrations in full swing, the time is ripe for dairy and meat producers to make the most of this opportunity for an increase in sales and revenue.
