Protein

🥩 The 2026 Global Meat Report: Top 5 Countries & The Billion-Dollar Companies Shaping the Protein Future Top Meat Producing Countries 2026 and the Largest Global Meat Companies are facing unprecedented change in 2026. Global protein demand is rising, but supply is being aggressively constrained by the U.S. Beef Cattle Cycle, geopolitical tariffs, and the … Read more

The global meat industry, valued at $1.36 trillion in 2024, is entering a 24-month period of unprecedented convergence. Our analysis identifies a “Triple Squeeze” impacting profitability: 1) Financial Margin Compression, 2) Regulatory & ESG Pressure, and 3) Structural Labor & Input Volatility. This is not a cyclical downturn but a permanent structural shift. Firms that thrive will not simply optimize; they will reconfigure … Read more

The meat industry globally is under mounting pressure from labor shortages, high turnover, and increasing production demands. In 2025, many processors and packers report labor as their greatest operational challenge — but advances in automation, training, and workforce‑model innovation offer a strategic pathway forward. 📉 The Labor Crisis: What’s Driving It These pressures threaten food … Read more

Drought and water scarcity are among the most severe risks facing meat production in 2025 — threatening herd health, feed availability, water supply, pasture viability, and ultimately supply volumes, quality and affordability. Without proactive risk‑management, meat supply chains (especially in drought‑prone and climate‑vulnerable regions) may face shortages, rising prices, and supply instability. Below, we analyze … Read more

In 2025, the meat industry is increasingly adopting advanced traceability technologies — combining blockchain, RFID / IoT, and AI/Computer‑Vision tools — to deliver farm‑to‑fork transparency, food safety, quality verification, and supply‑chain integrity. This evolution reflects rising consumer demand for origin, safety and authenticity, tighter regulatory standards, and growing pressure for robust quality control. 🔧 Key … Read more

The global and regional (e.g. South Africa) meat supply chain is under heavy pressure in 2025 — from farm to fork. From disease outbreaks to rising input costs, from weak infrastructure to regulatory and compliance complexity — the chain shows multiple stress points. Below we identify the key weak points across the meat supply chain, … Read more

In 2025, the retail meat market has shown resilience and shifts — with winners among beef, chicken and pork, evolving consumer behaviour, and structural dynamics reshaping what sells (and why). This performance reflects not only production and supply‑side pressures, but changing consumer priorities in an inflationary, value‑conscious, convenience‑driven environment. Our analysis draws on 2025 retail … Read more

Global meat production in 2026 is poised for moderate growth, with poultry leading gains, pork expanding steadily, and beef constrained by inventory reductions. Shifts in international trade, evolving consumer demand, and production risks—including disease outbreaks, weather disruptions, and regulatory changes—are expected to shape the market for producers, investors, and supply chain stakeholders. Drawing on USDA … Read more

The U.S. meat market is entering 2026 with record-breaking beef prices, steady pork growth, and expanding poultry production, signaling a strategic opportunity for producers and investors alike. U.S. beef prices are projected to hit $196.49 per hundredweight for steers, driven by a low inventory of 90.6 million head, while pork prices are forecast at $60.07 … Read more

Meat plant efficiency in 2025 focuses on real-time data integration and automation, with real-time weighing systems improving output without sacrificing quality, and ERP solutions enhancing yield traceability and ROI while reducing resource use. The ESS Feed Agribusiness Insights Team analyzed Provisioner Online’s November 2025 report on real-time weighing and McKinsey’s 2020 European meat processing insights—updated … Read more