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Red meat, poultry in cold storage larger than last year

Frozen red meat and poultry supplies rose over the past year.

The USDA says red meat in cold storage at the end of June 2026 was 3% larger than the same time a year ago at 865.033 million pounds, with a 9% increase in pork to 458.221 million pounds more than canceling out a 3% decrease for beef to 389.231 million pounds.

Those year-to-year changes can be linked to both production levels and consumer demand.

Poultry came out at 1.158 billion pounds, up 2% from last year, including a slight gain in chicken to 764.796 million pounds and a 5% jump for turkey at 391.063 million pounds, reflecting better consumer demand for chicken.

The USDA’s updated annual red meat and poultry supply and demand projections are out August 12^th.