MAY 25, 2026
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| CATEGORY |
NEAR-TERM MARKET PRICING TREND |
SUPPLY vs. DEMAND |
MARKET INSIGHTS COMMENTARY |
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Available - Mixed |
Demand for beef has stalled over the past two weeks, with packers struggling to clear near-term inventories. Foodservice buyers have largely moved to the sidelines, anticipating price discounting that will help stimulate spot market movement and improve clearance. In contrast, retail is actively focused on building forward inventory positions ahead of Memorial Day. Harvest levels are expected to remain restricted, as packers continue to manage supply to stabilize the market. It will likely take another two, possibly three weeks before foodservice demand strengthens and a higher level of market engagement returns. |
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Available - Steady |
Ribs are seasonally strong into late June on grilling demand, then trend lower through July and August.
Butts rally into mid-summer before a sharp post-June correction, making timing critical.
Loins remain the most stable primal with gradual gains and minimal volatility through the period. |
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Available - Steady |
Bellies show the biggest swing—strong upside into late July followed by a steep seasonal decline. |
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Available - Steady |
The chicken market remains mixed, with steady whole birds but uneven demand across parts. Jumbo boneless breast meat and wings face pressure amid soft demand and added supplies, while tenders and select boneless breast meat remain well supported. Dark meat continues to outperform, with legs, thighs, and thigh meat trading firm on strong domestic deboning and export demand. |
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Mixed |
The turkey market remains clouded by uncertainty as disrupted seasonality and cautious positioning continue to define trade. Whole birds and consumer‑sized breasts remain steady, supported by deliberate buying and confident sellers. Parts and raw materials are mixed to softer, with pressure evident on drums, necks, tails, frozen breast meat, and thigh meat, while demand overall remains selective and price‑sensitive. |
| Seafood |
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Available - Steady |
Shrimp is soft but stable; balanced supply with some downward price pressure. Lobster is firm short term due to weather and holiday demand; expected to ease. Snow crab trending lower; overall market mixed. Scallops are slight price easing; import supply remains tight. Salmon is firm to higher, led by strong demand and tight supply. Groundfish is firm across the board due to limited raw material and tariffs. Market is mostly steady to firm, with softness limited to shrimp and select crab items. Supply constraints and cost pressures continue to support pricing. |
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Available - Steady |
Butter markets remain generally steady, with domestic demand described as stable in the East and Central regions and moderate to strong in the West, while manufacturers report retail demand outpacing comparatively weaker foodservice interest and supporting active production schedules and growing inventories. Regionally, East contacts note strong retail demand limiting bulk availability alongside lighter churn utilization and building inventories ahead of summer, whereas Central markets show steady retail movement but explicitly light foodservice interest amid ample cream supplies and strong production. In the West, churns remain active with moderate-to-strong domestic demand and steady-to-strong export pull, but similar to national trends, overall demand conditions still reflect stronger retail channels relative to softer foodservice activity. Source: USDA AMS 5/15/2026 |
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Available - Steady |
Cheese markets are generally balanced to firm, with steady-to-strong production across U.S. regions supported by ample milk supplies, while domestic demand remains mixed as retail and export channels offset notably weaker foodservice activity in several areas. In the East, robust milk volumes support steady production with softening retail demand and limited foodservice commentary but continued strength in bulk and export channels, while the Central region reports strong retail demand but explicitly weaker foodservice sales year over year alongside steady output and active export. In the West, production is solid with steady domestic demand and strong export interest, whereas Foreign markets show steady foodservice demand and stable buyer preparation for seasonal travel, contributing to balanced global conditions that continue to support U.S. export opportunities. Source: USDA AMS 5/15/2026 |
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Class I - Increasing
Class II - Increasing |
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Class I - Available - Steady
Class II - Available - Steady |
Class I: Large cost increase on Milks for May. Class II: Modest cost increase on Creams & Cultured for May. |
| Oils/Shortening/Margarine |
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Available - Strong |
Soybean Oil stock prices continue their volatile trend based on daily headlines. What we know for certain is that prices are high and will remain as such at least for the near term. Analysts are predicting continued high prices in the coming weeks with the hope of a steadying market with slight declines as we move through late summer. All of this remains to be seen based on supply, demand and world conflicts. Canola Oil is also very high in response to the same scenario and is also struggling with weather impacting the new crop. Distributors should expect high prices as we move into June on all commodity oils and should also expect announced price increases on premium oil products in the near term.
Tallow Prices appear to be following Commodity Oil prices and appear to be increasing in many markets based on continual demand increases. Supply may remain tight in some markets.
High Oleic Soybean Oil: Supply is very limited, and many products may no longer ship for this pack year. All other oil products remain in adequate supply to meet needs through fall harvest season.
Margarine prices have continue to show increases based on supply and new internal biofuel policy in Indonesia and Malaysia. We expect prices to remain steady to higher in the near term. There is plenty of supply at this time. |
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Decreasing - Tomatoes
Steady - Apples, Avocados, Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Idaho Russets, Oranges, Iceberg
Increasing - Strawberries, Romaine, Lemons, Onions |
Increasing/Steady - Bell Peppers, Tomatoes
Available/Steady - Avocados, Idaho Russets
Decreasing/Strong - small Apples, Oranges, Strawberries, Lemons, Iceberg, Romaine, Broccoli, Onions |
Apples, WA declining inventories of Reds & Golds. Small sizes limited.
Avocados, MX market steady & low. Peak size 48ct. Excellent eating.
Bell Peppers, CA&GA harvest ramping up. Solid quality. Steady market.
Broccoli, supply limited but improving. Modest market decline.
Iceberg, supplies improving but still tight. Light wts., 36-40lbs.
Escalated Value-Added Lettuce, Broc, & Flower last a few more weeks.
Romaine, continued tight supply a few more weeks. Hearts are scarce!
Tomatoes, lower markets as supplies ramp up.
Strawberries, inconsistent availability, expected to improve.
Oranges, Navels finishing, Valencias started, small sizes tight.
Lemons, 165/200s scarce. Market higher, low harvest & high demand.
Onions, CA now primary source, tight supplies.
ID Potato Russets, transition to Burbanks. Strong quality. |
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Available - Steady |
Both world and domestic sugar markets have seen some localized price increases recently due to rising trading levels across agricultural products. Additionally, the total availability is lesser than originally expected. While no shortages are expected, this reduced supply may put upward pressure on domestic pricing. We anticipate slight price firming on bulk sugar from various suppliers in the coming weeks. |
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Available - Steady |
Shell egg demand strengthened modestly this week as the demand indicator increased, but overall movement patterns remain uneven with retail activity described as light to moderate and feature activity declining, while foodservice-related demand remains subdued and contributes to generally slow trading across bulk, carton, and breaker channels. No new Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks have been reported in recent weeks, marking an extended lull in detections and leaving cumulative 2026 flock losses unchanged, which has helped stabilize supply conditions without introducing new disruptions to foodservice or retail availability. Source: USDA AMS 5/20/2026 |
| Wheat (Flour Based Products) |
Increasing |
Available - Strong |
Wheat trading levels have risen recently due to concerns about reduced global supply, which is impacting bulk flour prices. Weather conditions have damaged some of the Winter Wheat crop along with the new spring planting season. This is causing concerns over longer term domestic supply. Higher pricing will likely persist in the coming weeks. Supply remains solid overall, but localized shipping delays are possible as strong demand pushes production facilities near capacity. |
| 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. |
