PENNSYLVANIA — An estimated 3.43 million Pennsylvania households have reduced or changed their purchases of meat, seafood, or dairy during the past year as grocery prices reshape food budgets and push consumers toward smaller portions, cheaper substitutes and more meat-free meals.
The estimate comes from a MarketBeat survey of 3,042 households, which found that 65% had changed the amount or type of animal protein they purchased because of rising grocery costs.
MarketBeat estimated that those findings correspond to approximately 3,428,653 Pennsylvania households. The figure is a survey-based estimate rather than a direct count of affected households.
Beef was the product most frequently reduced, identified by 43% of respondents. Fish or seafood followed at 10%, while chicken or turkey and pork were each cited by 8%, and dairy by 7%.
Nearly half of respondents, 47%, reported replacing beef with vegetarian protein sources such as beans or lentils because of higher prices.
The shift extends beyond substitutions. Fifty-one percent indicated their households now serve meals without meat or fish at least twice weekly specifically to save money.
That group includes 10% serving meat-free meals daily, 13% serving them four to six times weekly and 28% serving them two or three times weekly.
Another 16% reported serving a meat-free meal once a week, while 11% do so less frequently. Twenty-two percent reported never eliminating meat or fish from a meal for financial reasons.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported eating smaller portions or skipping protein-rich foods so children or other household members could have more.
“Many are eating less themselves so someone else in the household can have more,” MarketBeat founder Matt Paulson stated. “That shows how much grocery prices are affecting everyday life around the family dinner table.”
Eggs were the most common lower-cost substitute, selected by 24% of respondents. Processed meats followed at 13%, with beans at 12%, canned fish at 9% and peanut butter at 8%.
Other alternatives included dairy products, protein powder and lentils. Another 24% reported having no regular lower-cost protein alternative.
Among parents, 70% indicated weekly supermarket discounts now primarily determine which protein products they buy.
“More people are planning meals around what is affordable instead of what they would normally prefer to eat,” Paulson stated.
Sixty-seven percent of respondents indicated that rising prices have made meat, seafood and dairy feel more like luxury purchases than basic groceries.
Nearly one-third, 32%, reported increased household disagreements about grocery spending because of the cost of those products.
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