Americans continue to consume more protein, but new data suggests growing financial pressure is beginning to influence what ends up in the grocery cart.
The latest Monthly Meat Demand Monitor from Kansas State University shows demand for meat remains strong overall, yet consumer confidence in household finances continues to deteriorate.
According to the May survey, financial pessimism among consumers reached its highest level since the project began in 2020.
“Only 15 percent of the United States public surveyed told us their finances are better than a year ago, and a full 39 percent told us they’re worse,” says Glynn Tonsor, professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University. “The balance says they’re the same or not much change. That’s 39 percent telling us things are worse than they were in May of 2025. It is the worst May on record. This project started back in 2020.”
Tonsor says the growing level of financial pessimism was the most noteworthy finding in the latest report.
“Financial pessimism growing and the speed of that, not necessarily surprising me, but it’s the most noteworthy point in that report,” he says.
Consumers Still Want Meat, But Value Matters
While economic concerns are mounting, Tonsor says consumers have not abandoned protein. Instead, many households are adjusting how and where they purchase it.
According to the Monthly Meat Demand Monitor, more consumers are eating meals at home and looking for value-oriented protein options.
Tonsor says that trend reflects what economists refer to as a K-shaped economy, where financial outcomes differ significantly across households.
“The lower K is getting bigger is what I would emphasize here,” Tonsor says. “For that part of our public, they indeed are changing what they buy, when they buy it, how they buy it and so forth. They’re buying protein to have at home more. That’s the change they’re making. And they’re being very cognizant of, am I buying the highest-end, highest-price-per-pound product, or am I meeting those protein goals by sort of trading down within the protein space.”
That caution appeared in May’s willingness-to-pay data.
“The willingness to pay is a measure we include in the Monthly Meat Demand Monitor every month, and in May relative to April, we saw willingness to pay decline both in beef and pork and both at retail, so think grocery store for at-home consumption, and dinner meal food service, so away from home,” Tonsor says.
He says the data points to softer domestic demand during the month.
“We saw a slowdown in domestic meat demand that includes both beef and pork, both at-home and away-from-home demand in May relative to April,” he says.
Tonsor notes that similar declines have occurred before and later rebounded.
“There’s been months this has happened before, and then a month or two later things got better,” he says. “For the meat industry’s sake, and we’re sitting here at World Pork Expo, I certainly hope that happens for beef, pork, chicken and the broader meat complex. But we’re weighing on household finances, and that makes it harder for us to pull that off.”
Pork Demand Finds Support Among Younger Consumers
Despite tightening household budgets, the National Pork Board sees encouraging signs for pork demand.
Kiersten Hafer, vice president of business intelligence and innovation for the National Pork Board, says consumers across every generation are increasing protein consumption.
“Consumers are consuming more meat across the board, all age cohorts, and we see that all generations are engaging with pork a little bit differently, but demand is strong right now,” Hafer says.
Hafer says younger consumers, especially Generation Z and Millennials, are helping create new opportunities for pork.
“First and foremost, it’s convenience. It has to be easy with these younger consumers,” Hafer says. “After that, they want a great eating experience. They love flavor and they love different cuisines. Generation Z in particular loves Asian food. Millennials love Mexican food. So when we can bring pork to those cultural cuisines and those dishes that we are so prominent in globally, it’s a win.”
Higher Beef Prices Aren’t Automatically Driving Pork Sales
With beef prices at record levels, some economists might expect consumers to switch to alternative proteins such as pork and chicken. However, Tonsor says that relationship has weakened over time.
“Work we’ve done in the past says that pork and chicken, both of them, benefit less from a higher beef price than they used to,” Tonsor says.
He explains that while substitution still occurs, it happens more gradually than many people assume.
“Now in economics terms, that’s a cross-price effect,” Tonsor says. “We tend to think that when beef prices go up, some people switch to pork and some switch to chicken. Directionally, I would agree with that and I would say the same thing. But the magnitude of that, or the speed of that switch, is much slower than most people think. I think we’re seeing that play out so far in 2026.”
Because consumer preferences have become more segmented, Hafer says the National Pork Board is focusing on targeted marketing efforts rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
“We’ve learned that consumers need different things from pork,” Hafer says. “If we’re talking about culinary adventurers, they love to explore and discover. If we’re talking about simple feeders, they’re eating out four to five times a week. They do not want to cook. And our mindful choice makers are all about nutrition and health. So it’s really critical because then Taste What Pork Can Do can be delivered in a way that feels like we’re speaking individually to them.”
Grilling Season Creates Opportunity
As grilling season ramps up, Tonsor sees additional opportunities for pork demand growth.
“A lot of bacon has been sold to be put on top of that beef burger,” Tonsor says. “So it’s a good example of beef and pork actually being complements, not necessarily substitutes.”
He also points to growing interest in newer pork products.
“The other part that’s newer is the role of the Boston butt burger,” Tonsor says. “There’s growing interest in a Boston butt burger. The discussion around it, the marketing around it and the excitement around it is definitely growing.”
Hafer says the long-term opportunity remains tied to the broader protein trend.
“There is a lot of protein consumption right now,” Hafer says. “All of these generations want more protein, and pork has the opportunity to meet them in that time of decision. But we’ve got to think about how to be really consistent. This is a long-term game and we’ve got to change some perceptions.”
According to Tonsor, Americans are consuming nearly 30 pounds more meat per person today than they were 20 years ago. While financial pressures may create short-term challenges for protein demand, industry leaders say the long-term outlook for meat consumption, and pork demand in particular, continues to point higher.
