Freshly Picked, April 14, 2026

Freshly Picked Insights

• Growing Fast? Don’t Let Costs Grow Faster
• Is Menu Fatigue Quietly Hurting Your Sales Across Locations?
• Are Small Gaps in Your Operation Quietly Cutting Into Profits?

Produce

Tomato pricing remains volatile but showed signs of leveling off. Avocado increases appear temporary due to supply disruption, while broccoli saw a short-term rebound before an المتوقع seasonal decline.

Outcome: Ongoing produce volatility reinforces the need for flexible sourcing strategies and menu adaptability across locations, particularly for high-volume ingredients like tomatoes and avocados.

Grains

Grain markets trended lower, driven by improved weather conditions and reduced drought pressure in key growing regions.

Outcome: Lower grain costs could begin to ease feed expenses, creating potential downstream relief in protein pricing—something operators should factor into forward planning.

Dairy

Cheese and butter softened slightly, while nonfat dry milk surged to multi-year highs and may be nearing a peak. Seasonal milk production is increasing, supporting broader supply.

Outcome: Stable dairy inputs create an opportunity to protect margins in core menu items, but operators should monitor shifts in milk allocation that could impact cheese pricing longer term.

Beef

Beef supply remains constrained due to reduced slaughter, keeping pricing elevated despite some softening last week. Imports are increasing, but primarily lean product, offering limited relief for center-of-plate cuts.

Outcome: Sustained high beef costs will continue to challenge margins across locations. Multi-unit operators should evaluate menu engineering strategies, spec flexibility, and cross-protein substitution to maintain profitability.

Pork

Pork

Improved pork production is helping stabilize the market, though certain categories like ham are seeing short-term spikes. Pork trim remains elevated due to ongoing substitution from beef.

Outcome: Pork continues to be a strategic lever for cost management, but operators should monitor trim and rib categories closely as substitution demand and seasonal trends evolve.

Poultry

Chicken production is ramping up quickly, with supply expected to hit record levels this year. Prices are still climbing in the near term—especially for breasts and tenders—but that incoming supply should help temper the typical spring surge. Eggs remain at historic lows.

Outcome: Near-term cost pressure on high-demand chicken cuts, but operators with scale can start planning for more favorable contracting opportunities as supply expands. Eggs continue to offer strong margin flexibility.

Seafood

Salmon pricing moved counter to typical seasonal trends, declining early in the year. A rebound is expected, but the market is still stabilizing following last year’s correction.

Outcome: Short-term buying opportunities may exist, but operators should anticipate pricing normalization as seasonal demand builds.

Need Help Managing Market Volatility?

Consolidated Concepts offers custom contract support, commodity tracking, and supply chain solutions to help operators thrive—no matter the market conditions. Reach out to see how we can help your business stay ahead of pricing swings and supply uncertainty.