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COMMODITY FOOD MARKET UPDATES:   w/o October 20, 2025

CATEGORY NEAR-TERM MARKET PRICING TREND SUPPLY vs. DEMAND MARKET INSIGHTS COMMENTARY
Beef (Commodity) Increasing Short - Mixed Overall demand remains steady, showing little upward momentum. Seasonally, Ribeye and Tenderloin inventories are beginning to tighten as buyers build on-hand positions in anticipation of Q4 price rallies. Packers are working to improve forward-sold positions heading into mid-November. Market participants are preparing for renewed volatility expected by mid-November as the holiday buying season approaches.
Pork (Commodity) Decreasing Available - Weak Butts and spareribs are forecast to decline over the next four weeks (~11% for butts, ~12% for spareribs) as seasonal production builds and post-holiday demand softens. Markets are expected to stabilize into October before trending lower into Q4.
Pork (Value-Added) Decreasing Available - Steady Bacon markets are easing with bellies forecast down roughly 11% over the next four weeks. Seasonal supply increases are pressuring wholesale values, while retail and foodservice demand remain steady but unable to absorb the additional volume. Markets should stabilize after the current correction.
Poultry (Chicken) Decreasing Available - Steady The front half of the bird remained steady in price.  The back half of the bird remains steady and supply is broadly available.
Poultry (Turkey) Increasing Short – Strong Pricing continues to rise across the board for turkey.  Availability is short of demand by far.  This is expected to continue near term.  Avian Influenza has begun to strike in various areas, likely to continue near term which further affects supply. 
Seafood Mixed Disrupted - Steady On-again/off-again tariffs are creating volatility in seafood markets. Import costs are up, supply chains are inconsistent, and species availability varies. Demand remains steady, but uncertainty on trade policy is keeping buyers cautious and pricing unstable.
Butter Decreasing Steady - Steady Nationwide butter demand was mixed this week, with retail sales continuing to outperform food service activity, which remains comparatively sluggish. Across all regions, butter production is steady but affected by periodic plant downtime, while strong export demand is helping offset weaker domestic food service orders. In the East, churns are running at or near capacity for the holidays, yet much of the cream demand is covered by contracts rather than spot transactions. In the Central region, butter makers report light domestic pull and note that retail recovery has not fully compensated for softer food service trends. In the West, retail demand is again outpacing food service sales, though butter availability remains ample and inventories are described as adequate despite variable production schedules. Source: USDA AMS as of October 10
Cheese Steady Steady - Steady Cheese production in the U.S. East is varied with some plants at limited capacity and others boosting output ahead of the holidays, while food service sales remain soft despite balanced inventories. The Central region shows steady to stronger milk production and consistent cheese output, but food service cheese sales continue to be light. In the West, production is active with stable retail demand, yet food service demand is weaker compared to retail. Export demand is improving overall but faces pressure from falling European cheese prices, which diminish the U.S. competitive edge abroad. Manufacturers generally meet seasonal and contracted orders, with spot milk available for processing and a steady flow of exports supporting the market. Source: USDA AMS as of October 10
Fluid Dairy Class I - Decreasing           
Class II - Decreasing		 Class I - Available - Steady     Class II - Available - Steady Class I: Whole milk decrease for October.                                                                                                                  
Class II: Cream & Cultured slight decrease for October.
 Oils/Shortening/Margarine Steady Available -  Weak There has not been much in the way of new news in recent days that would impact Soy Oil Stocks.  Traders are holding steady waiting for the next big news event before making any major buys.  Thus, pricing levels have not changed much in the past week.  The Biofuel policy mandate has been put on hold based on the government shutdown.  Weather conditions are still favorable in most regions and international trade is really at a standstill.  Thus, we do not expect to see any major changes in Soy Oil prices in the near term.  Canola and other domestic Oilseed products will likely follow the same trend.  Palm Oil prices are still elevated and tariffs are still in play.  Thus, we do expect that cube shortening products and Margarine products will not show much change in pricing as we move through the month.  Tallow prices remain at an all time high and supply continues to tighten.  Operator demand does appear to still be growing, but based on limited cattle supply, this will have to even out at some point soon.
Produce Lower - Avocados             
Steady - Apples,  Onions, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, ID Russets    
Higher -  Broccoli,  Iceberg, , Romaine, Value-Added Lettuces, Oranges,  Strawberries, Lemons		  Improving/Steady -  N/A       
Good/Steady -  Apples, Avocados,  Bell Peppers,  Onions, Idaho Russets, Tomatoes
Short/Strong -  Broccoli,   Iceberg, Romaine, Value Added Lettuces, Strawberries, Oranges,   Lemons     		 Apples, fresh crop available. Pinks tight as new crop not ready to be harvested. Overall Harvest up from LY. Ample smaller fruit.                                     
Avocados, MX fruit peak 48&60ct. Few #2s. Market depressed.                                                                    
Bell Peppers, high production on both coasts.  Mixed Quality.                                                        
Broccoli, supplies very limited due to Pin Rot & insect. Markets rising.                                                                                               
Iceberg, Very light supply. Defects inc., light weight and internal burn.                                                                                                                         
Value-Added Lettuces at second tier of escalation.  No easing in sight.                  
Romaine, very limited.. Expect light weights & tip burn. Markets rising.                                                                                                                                           
Tomatoes, ample volume from both coasts. Nice quality.                                                                                                           
Strawberries, demand exceeds supplies. due to heat & rain.                                                                                                                                                                     
Oranges, CA Vals peaking on 72s. 113s & 138s scarce. Some decay & regreening on arrival. New Crop Navels start in late October.                                                                                            
Lemons, imports down. CA tight, 165 & 200 scarce. Some soft & decay.                                                 
Onions, new crop WA/ID/OR harvest still underway. Strong demand.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
ID Potatoes, FOBs have stabilized. New crop Norkotah mostly #1s.                                      
Sugar Mixed Available - Steady Domestic cane and beet harvest are underway and so far things are moving as planned.  Unless there is a impactful weather event in the coming weeks, we should have a solid harvest.  It will still be several weeks before we know about the actual yields from the crop though.  In the meantime, we do expect similar pricing in plants with available product.  Product can become tight and orders delayed this time of year.  Thus, close communication with suppliers is always recommended.
Shell Eggs Steady Available - Steady Shell egg demand slowed over the past week even though promotions were active at retail outlets, while foodservice demand held mostly moderate levels. Wholesale markets were generally firm with balanced supply and demand conditions, and offerings were sufficient to meet ongoing needs. Egg supplies ranged from moderate to fully adequate, and trading activity remained steady across both traditional and formula-based transactions. In the foodservice sector, demand for breaking stock and loose eggs stayed moderate, supporting consistent schedules across processors. Retail feature activity, however, declined notably, signaling softer consumer engagement in stores even as underlying wholesale and foodservice channels maintained moderate momentum. Source: USDA AMS as of October 15
Wheat (Flour Based Products) Steady Available - Steady There is no new news regarding wheat markets.  Harvest was positive and supply is solid. As we are in heavy holiday demand season for flour, we may see some slight price increases on a localized level due to plant capacity.  However, we do not expect to see any large price changes in the near term and we should see adequate supply to cover demand.  The pricing on other bakery products that contain wheat/flour as a key ingredient, will likely also maintain relatively steading pricing in the coming days.
All UniPro Foodservice Sales Market Insights information is based on domestic US market data only, unless indicated otherwise. The UniPro Foodservice Market Sales Insights update is not a recommendation to buy or sell a commodity.  While this update is based on sources we believe to be reliable and accurate, UniPro Foodservice does not guarantee the accuracy of the information presented.