CHICAGO – Consumers have relied on supermarkets and mass merchandisers for the bulk of their fresh meat and poultry purchases, and volume sales continued to grow during the worst of the recession, a new study shows.

Only two percent of respondents said they’re buying less meat and poultry.

Midan Marketing and Shugoll Research, were presented here this week at the World Wide Food Expo.

While two-thirds of respondents said they’ve “tightened their belts,” are looking for bargains, using coupons, and eating out less, even that behavior is stabilizing, researchers said.

They concluded that conventional retailers have regained lost ground as consumers continue to have a positive attitude toward fresh meat and poultry.

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