COMMODITY FOOD MARKET UPDATES: w/o May 19, 2025

CATEGORY	NEAR-TERM MARKET PRICING TREND	SUPPLY vs. DEMAND	DSR MARKET INSIGHTS COMMENTARY
Beef (Commodity)	Steady	Short - Mixed	Memorial weekend is upon us. Buyers remain on the sidelines waiting for signs of meaningful market momentum. So far, nothing. Deep cuts in the weekly harvest rate continue as packers hold back supply despite entering highest Beef demand period of the year. There are no signs the tone of the market will change into June.
Pork (Commodity)	Increasing	Available - Strong	Retail demand for popular grilling meats - Spareribs, St. Louis Spareribs, backribs, an loin are on the rise through Memorial Day. The butt is on the rise through Independence Day.
Pork (Value-Added)	Steady	Available - Steady	The price of bacon is relatively stable now through the end of June.
Poultry (Chicken)	Mixed	Available – Steady	Pricing on breast meat and wings have remained steady while tenderloins continue to increase. Availability is tight on jumbo breast meat and tenderloins.
Poultry (Turkey)	Increasing	Short – Steady	Avian Influenza continues to plague the turkey industry. Pricing has remained steady for the most part, but all parts of the bird are well accounted for and hard to uncover. However, Tom breast meat pricing is on the rise.
Seafood	Product of China - Increasing	Mixed	Tariffs are a growing threat across key seafood items. Chinese-processed cod, haddock, flatfish, Red Swimming Crab will see tariffs jump from 20% to 170%, pressuring costs and availability. Snow Crab from Newfoundland is now available and declining as the domestic distribution pipeline fills up. Due to shifting buyer behavior due to the sweeping tariffs, all seafood in general is on the rise, no matter the country of origin.
Butter	Steady	Available - Steady	Domestic retail butter demand varies from steady to strong throughout the country. Some sellers describe domestic food service demand as weaker compared to this time last year. Export demand is strong. Cream volumes for butter manufacturers are more than ample despite some seasonal production upticks for certain dairy commodities. Butter production is strong. Butter inventories are generally growing to various degrees. Source: USDA AMS as of May 9
Cheese	Increasing	Available - Steady	Contacts in the East region share strong milk availability is allowing cheese processors to run increased production schedules. Contacts continue to note cheese demand and sales have slowed with increased milk production; cheese inventories are growing. The Central region cheese contacts report mixed spot demand. Spot cheese inventories are less tight. Contacts in the West region also share cheese production schedules are steady for the most part. Inventories available to spot load buyers are extremely tight for cheese producers. Domestic prices are holding some competitiveness against international prices. Source: USDA AMS as of May 9
Fluid Dairy	Class I - Decreasing Class II - Decreasing	Class I Available - Steady Class II Available - Steady	Class I: Cost decrease on Milks in May. Class II: Cost decrease on Cream & Cultured in May.
Oils/Shortening	Mixed	Available - Steady	The slight price declines that we have enjoyed in Soybean Oil in recent days appear to be going away. The trading markets have climbed over the past few days based on potential upcoming biofuel policy updates. This may cause soybean oils to some slight near term increases. Canola will also likely follow this trend as crop carryover is not as strong as originally thought. Margarine markets have shown some recent softening. This may translate into slightly lower margarine prices in the near term. Pricing on Tallow is currently running more than 30% higher than it was a year ago and shows no signs of any near term decreases. There is a larger chance of price increases than decreases as demand continues to climb. There is no expectation of product shortages on any common oil products in the near term.
Produce	Decreasing - Strawberries Steady - Apples, Broccoli, Iceberg, Romaine, Onions, Bell Peppers, ID Russets Increasing - Avocados, Lemons, Tomatoes, Oranges	Increasing/Steady - Strawberries Steady/Steady - Apples, Broccoli, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Romaine, Iceberg, ID Potatoes, Onions Short/Strong - Avocados, Lemons, Strawberries	Apples, market is poised to increase. Good supplies of small fruit. Avocados, Market elevated but easing. 48ct & larger, priced > 60ct. Bell Peppers, FL market firming, less supplies. GA starts in late May. Broccoli, Salinas FOBs steady, strong supplies, quality above average. Iceberg, Salinas strong supplies and quality, 40-45 lbs. Romaine, Salinas supplies are plentiful, strong quality. Tomatoes, market steady, good availability and quality. Strawberries, Salinas/Watsonville has promotable volume. Oranges, CA Navel market strong, crop ends in early June. High brix! Lemons, CA market firming. Sizing heavy to 115ct & larger sizes. Onions, TX done. CA & GA now shipping. ID storage Russet FOBs remain low and steady. Nice quality.
Sugar	Steady	Available - Steady	Bulk Sugar prices have remained relatively steady in recent weeks. The forecast for spring is for much of the same. Pricing levels are much lower than they were this time last year. The 2024 harvest left us with solid supply and the spring crop planting is expected to be uneventful at this point. This leaves us in a pretty solid supply position as we move into summer. Mexican Sugar imports will be limited this year as Mexico is experiencing another tough weather year. This should have minimal impact on US supply or pricing at this point.
Shell Eggs	Increasing	Available - Steady	Contacts in the East region share strong milk availability is allowing cheese processors to run increased production schedules. Contacts continue to note cheese demand and sales have slowed with increased milk production; cheese inventories are growing. The Central region cheese contacts report mixed spot demand. Spot cheese inventories are less tight. Contacts in the West region also share cheese production schedules are steady for the most part. Inventories available to spot load buyers are extremely tight for cheese producers. Domestic prices are holding some competitiveness against international prices. Source: USDA AMS as of May 9
Wheat (Flour Based Products)	Steady	Available - Steady	Bulk Flour Suppliers will likely hold pricing at steady levels as we move through the month of May. Production is proceeding at the usual pace and demand is steady to slightly down overall. The spring crop plant is progressing as expected and carryover is still offering adequate supply to meet upcoming expected summer demand. Products that utilize flour as a primary ingredient will likely now show any major changes near term due to current wheat markets.
All UniPro Foodservice DSR Market Insights information is based on domestic US market data only, unless indicated otherwise. The UniPro Foodservice Market DSR 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.