Pork, beef stocks decline seasonally during May

Frozen beef and pork stocks both declined seasonally last month. While the drop in beef stocks was rather normal, pork inventories fell much more than average. The May shifts in meat stocks suggest a bigger movement of pork in anticipation of grocers moving from featuring beef toward a more pork-oriented approach.

Beef stocks at the end of May totaled 423.5 million lbs., down 28.6 million lbs. (6.3%) from April, which was just a little more than the five-year average of a 26.3-million-lb. decline for the month. Beef stocks fell 102.7 million lbs. (19.5%) from the May 2022 record.  

Pork stocks totaled 525.9 million lbs., down 41.6 million lbs. (7.3%) from April, much more than the five-year average decline of 25.7 million lbs. during May. Pork stocks fell 20.2 million lbs. (3.7%) from year-ago.

Total poultry stocks rose 29.5 million lbs. (2.5%) from April and 99.4 million lbs. (8.8%) from last year. Chicken breast meat inventories rose 4.7 million lbs. (2.1%) to a May record 226.7 million lbs. and jumped 55.0% (32.0%) from last year.