CHICAGO — The rising price of proteins could play a role in the foods that shoppers decide to serve their families this Easter Sunday, April 24, according to a report from The Perishables Group.
Fortunately, half hams were the top volume seller in the meat department during the weeks leading up to Easter in 2010, and the average retail price of half hams has risen only 1.2% compared with the same period last year. For whole hams, prices have actually fallen 6.8%.
Similarly, chicken breasts, whole chickens, and chicken legs and drumsticks were numbers three, six and seven on the top ten volume sales list before Easter last year, and prices for all these items have remained relatively stable, rising only 3% to 5%.
But prices for fresh ground beef and pork loin — both top five volume sellers for Easter — are up more than 10%. Prices for salmon, another popular Easter protein, have also risen 16.9%
The report notes that budget-conscious shoppers may also shift their purchases to the deli, where rotisserie chicken prices have remained flat.
In bakery departments, where dinner roll prices have spiked more than 17%, shoppers may opt for crusty or specialty rolls, whose prices have remained stable.
And in produce departments, “as core items on Easter menus, consumers tend to purchase onions and potatoes regardless of price,” the report notes. Strawberry volume sales may also rise since average retail prices are down almost 9%.
