Pre-packaged meat dominant

Retail sales of meat products are growing. Nielsen market research has registered a growth of 8 per cent in terms of value, in compared to a year ago. For the first time, sales of pre-packaged products have exceeded sales by the kilo, achieving a share of 57 per cent, in terms of value. Meat products are the largest food category with annual sales of nearly HUF 190 billion. The dominance of pre-packaged products is the result of the increasing market share of modern store types. Over a half of all meat products are sold in hyper markets and discount stores. Red meat products remain the largest segment, whereas the sausage segment is not far behind. Among products sold by the kilo, the average price of poultry products was HUF 858 in March-April, showing an increase of 17 per cent compared to the same period a year earlier. The price of pork products has only grown by 10 per cent in the same period. The market share of private labels has grown to 25 per cent, from 20 per cent measured a year ago.