US Lunchmeat and Deli Meats Market Report 2025

Mealtime variety that revolves around lunchmeats and deli meats as a constant can become the ultimate comfort as consumers navigate feeding themselves and their families amid rapidly shifting dynamics. Evolving international trade relations’ impact on grocery accessibility and changes to regulatory bodies will likely lead consumers to seek reliability and predictability – and brands can contribute.

While some wellness hang-ups and food safety concerns are inevitable, consumers look forward to using lunchmeats and deli meats and keep them in their routines. Continuing to support their meal building and snacking, empowered with product transparency and nutrition education, can help brands ride out these shifting norms.

This report looks at the following areas:

• External factors impacting the lunchmeat and deli meat market
• Market size, forecast and company/brand activity
• Lunchmeat and deli meat consumption, and changes in consumption
• Lunchmeat and deli meat purchase drivers
• Interest in product attributes and brand initiatives
• Lunchmeat and deli meat associations
• Attitudes toward lunchmeats and deli meats

As consumers navigate evolving norms, lunchmeats and deli meats can continue providing reliable mealtime and snacking solutions that consumers look forward to.

Adriana Chychula, Analyst – Food, Drink & Nutrition

Market Definitions

For the purposes of this report, the lunchmeat market has been segmented as follows:

• Refrigerated, packaged sliced lunchmeat including, but not limited to: ham, turkey, salami, pastrami, bologna, chicken and corned beef
• Refrigerated lunchmeat including, but not limited to: specialty salami, ham, wursts and turkey. Generally more premium specialty products available in a somewhat limited selection compared to sliced meat
• Deli counter lunch meat sold in a supermarket’s deli department

The following categories are excluded from this Report, except for comparison purposes:

• Any packaged, refrigerated or frozen hot dog or frankfurter (eg Oscar Mayer all-beef hot dogs)
• Any packaged, refrigerated sausage primarily marketed as an option for lunch, dinner or a snack (eg Johnsonville sweet Italian sausage, Hillshire Farm smoked Bratwurst)
• Any packaged, refrigerated or frozen sausage primarily marketed as an option for breakfast or a morning snack (eg Jimmy Dean maple pork sausage links, Johnsonville original breakfast patties)
• Refrigerated bacon and bacon bits