North America Processed Meat Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

The chicken poultry meat segment has the highest share in the processed poultry meat market and is expected to continue the same over the forecast period, followed by turkey meat and others. Chicken and turkey deli meats are the dominating segments in the regions as they consider them as healthier options over non-poultry meats. Furthermore, the United States is the world’s largest exporter of poultry meat and major egg producer. Changing dietary patterns and consumers preferring leaner meats/ vegetarian options has resulted in a demand for poultry meat. Additionally, a decline in the consumption of beef has also driven the market for poultry.  The market is further expanded with a rise in the cost of beef. For instance, beef recorded USD 5.36 per pound whereas broiler chicken was only USD 2.03 per pound. This created an opportunity for the poultry industry to expand growth during the coming years.

Consumers in countries such as the United States and Canada have started opting for meat-based breakfast options, including bacon, over other breakfast options, such as pancakes, due to the changing palates and willingness to try new products. A significant percentage of the population in the United States consume bacon during breakfast time, paving the way for more foodservice outlets to introduce bacon-based breakfasts. As the meat sector is a great source of pride and prosperity to many Canadians, the government is taking initiatives to help the producers and processors of red meat mainly bacon to become more innovative and competitive in domestic and world markets. For instance, in 2016, the Governments of Canada and Manitoba invested USD 5.9 million in Maple Leaf Food’s Winnipeg-based facility to expand the bacon production by eight million kilograms every year. The strategic investment is for the purchase of new processing and packaging equipment for bacon production.