Consumers' ongoing quest for convenient meal solutions is helping drive deli-prepared meat sales.

Retail sales data analysis by Circana suggests that prepared meats from the deli counter are serving as not just a meal ingredient but as a replacement for a home-cooked or restaurant meals.

Circana retail data finds that deli inflation has cooled, with November deli price increases at just 0.3%.  

For November 2023, dollar sales for deli-prepared meats totaled $400 million, up 5.5% from year-ago levels, with units sold also up 6.2%. From November 2022 through November 2023, sales of deli-prepared meats totaled $4.9 billion, an 8.1% increase.

Of the 11 categories for deli foods that Circana tracks, deli-prepared meats posted the second best sales growth, outpaced by pizza, which saw its dollar sales grow by more than 15% from November 2022 through November 2023. Also showing healthy growth in the category were sandwiches (dollar sales up 7.9%) along with soups and chili (dollar sales up 7.8%). Breakfast items purchased at the deli saw the steepest dollar sales drop — down -7%.