Mince was the only beef product in the UK not to record an increase in price this year, according to EBLEX.
Analysing the latest Kantar Worldpanel figures, EBLEX says the amount of beef purchased in the UK over the three months to November 9 has slowly been increasing in line with the usual seasonal trend.
It also notes that this increase has been particularly prominent in sales of stewing cuts, which have almost doubled over the three-month period.
However, EBLEX says despite this seasonally-driven upturn in performance, UK beef sales still remain down on last year’s levels as higher prices were reflected in the make-up of the shopping baskets of price conscious consumers.
It says compared to the same period a year ago, while the overall number of households buying beef was unchanged, shoppers bought smaller amounts on each trip.
EBLEX says the relatively high price of beef has continued to contribute to consumers moving towards fresh chicken and pork, both of which have recorded a fall in average prices over the year.
It says mince was the only beef product not to record a year-on-year increase in average price.
EBLEX says this has been partly due to an increase in the volume of mince sold on promotion in the UK from certain retailers and a greater proportion of sales going through the hard discounters with their lower base prices.