Sales of pre-packed sausages and bacon are down, following a recent World Health Organisation report stating that processed meats can cause cancer. That’s according to the latest retail data from global insight firm IRI.
IRI’s Retail Advantage weekly data, which measures sales across all of the major grocery multiples, for the week of the announcement (w/e 31st October) and the following week (w/e 7th November) shows a clear impact on sales, with total losses for sausages and bacon alone estimated to be in the region of £3m over the two weeks.
According to IRI’s figures, value sales for pre-packed sausages were down 15.7% for w/e 31st October compared to the same week the previous year, despite a 12-week decline of 5.6% and 52-week decline of 3.1%. Pre-packed bacon saw even sharper declines, down 17%, despite a 12-week decline of 6.5% and 52-week decline of 5.6%. This equates to an incremental fall in sales of about 10% due to the scare.
The trend in week 2 (w/e 7th November) continued at the same rate for bacon, down 16.5%, but slightly less for sausages – heavily promoted by some retailers during bonfire week – down 13.9%. Other pre-packed meats also saw a decline in sales, down 10% overall. Other meat products and associated food, such as eggs, were not negatively impacted, with overall spending on meat staying broadly consistent, suggesting that shoppers were switching to other meat products.
“While there have been links between certain types of meat and some forms of cancer before, this announcement from a highly respected global body was picked up widely by the media and has had an immediate impact on some people’s shopping choices,” according to Martin Wood, Head of Strategic Insight, Retail Solutions & Innovation, IRI.
“What we may see here is some people making changes to meat buying, moving away from processed meat to non-processed alternatives. This is an opportunity for retailers to look at their ranges and focus on non-processed products, like premium mince and fresh burgers, for example, as well as premium and smoked non-meat products like fish. However it is still early days.”
