U.S. consumer demand for meat peaked during the middle of 2022 and has been steadily dropping ever since, however while the decline is notable, April 2023 domestic meat demand is still above February 2020 levels, when the Meat Demand Monitor project was officially launched.
For example, ground beef peaked at 135 in March 2022, with retail demand 35% stronger that month than in February 2020. The April 2023 ground beef demand index was 115, indicating notable demand decline since the March 2022 peak, yet still above the February 2020 demand index of 100.
Source: U.S. meat demand declining, still remains above pre-pandemic levels