Meat market read, Thursday, May 28, 2026

Fresh 50CL at 187.79¢/lb, up 6¢/lb on the day and 11¢/lb on the week, is moving against a pork complex that's heading the other direction. Pork loads running 22% above their five-year average are pushing the carcass down half a dollar today, and when pork softens this visibly against heavy volume, retailers tend to feature it harder, which pulls some consumer grind demand off beef. That demand diversion matters most to the trim lane, which is already tight on its own terms: 92-94CL holding 485¢/lb and history carrying both lean grades another 10 to 30¢/lb over the next four weeks. Tenderloin at 1448¢/lb is a different story entirely, down 131¢/lb today after shedding nearly 100¢/lb on the week, the loin end giving back gains with no seasonal catalyst yet to hold the bid.

meatread.com