The meat market - Brazil

1.1 Definition and scope of study

The meat market takes into account  :

• red meat (which includes meat from adult cattle, calves and sheep)
• white meat (which includes pork and poultry)

In line with increased awareness of a balanced and healthy diet, some types of meat (mainly red) continue to suffer from a decline in demand. However, this same trend is a catalyst for growth in demand for premium products as consumers become increasingly willing to pay more for high quality food they consider to offer greater value.

In Brazil, there is still a rather small niche related to the demand for meat substitutes. Even so, demand registers new records of growth each year both in terms of current value and volume. This is being supported by the growing number of Portuguese consumers who are interested in reducing their meat consumption in line with the country's growing health concerns, in addition to animal welfare and sustainability issues.

According to the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries (ABIEC), Brazil exports over 1.3 million tons of meat every year, with China being the largest importer of this type of product. Meat consumption, on average, among Brazilians is 42.12kg per year and the sector is responsible for 8.7% of the country's total Gross Domestic Product. It is not a coincidence that 79.6% of meat production is destined to the domestic market. Despite the slow growth of Brazilians starting vegetarian diets, local consumers are increasingly preferring a higher quality of food in relation to quantity. This more premium sub-segment seems to be the biggest entry point for new players, who are representing a fierce competition for the big players already established.