COMMODITY FOOD MARKET UPDATES: w/o November 24, 2025

CATEGORY	NEAR-TERM MARKET PRICING TREND	SUPPLY vs. DEMAND	MARKET INSIGHTS COMMENTARY
Beef (Commodity)	Increasing	Short - Mixed	No significant changes have been reported in the Beef markets. We have entered the Q4 holiday period. Now is the time to focus on selling. The demand window will open and close quickly. Don’t sit back. Sell. Packers increased harvest levels this week and last, but they have positioned themselves to capitalize on the Thanksgiving federal holiday by not running plants on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Coming out of the holiday, packers will short the market to extend elevated holiday pricing as far into December as possible. Stay aggressive. Sell.
Pork (Commodity)	Decreasing	Available - Weak	Butts, spareribs, boneless loins, and Backribs are forecast for mostly steady pricing, all with a slight price risk downward, through mid-December.
Pork (Value-Added)	Decreasing	Available - Steady	Bacon pricing should continue to decline through the end of the year, with the belly value forecast to decline another 15% by the first week of December.
Poultry (Chicken)	Decreasing	Available - Steady	The front half of the bird remained steady in price. The back half of the bird remains steady and supply is broadly available.
Poultry (Turkey)	Increasing	Short – Strong	Pricing continues to rise across the board for turkey. Availability is short of demand by far. This is expected to continue near term. Avian Influenza has begun to strike in various areas, likely to continue near term which further affects supply.
Seafood	Increasing	Available - Steady	On-again/off-again tariffs are creating volatility in seafood markets. Import costs are up, supply chains are inconsistent, and species availability varies. Demand remains steady, but uncertainty on trade policy is keeping buyers cautious and pricing unstable. Pasteurized Crab meat, Haddock, and Cod supply is on the decrease so shortages and price increases are expected.
Butter	Decreasing	Available - Steady	Domestic butter demand is steady to strong in the East, light to stronger in the Central, and mixed in the West, while international demand remains steady to strong. In the East, many manufacturers have shifted focus from retail to foodservice-sized packaging, with foodservice butter demand described as steady to strong. In the Central region, retail demand is rising with the holidays, but foodservice sales for butter remain light. The West shows manufacturers continuing high production but placing more emphasis on bulk and export markets, with little direct mention of foodservice activity; domestic demand here is mixed. Overall, strong export demand is influencing bulk butter availability, while foodservice demand is most robust in the East and subdued in the Central region. Source: USDA AMS as of November 14
Cheese	Decreasing	Steady - Steady	Cheese production across the U.S. remains steady, with manufacturers taking steps to keep inventories balanced and production aligned with regional milk supply and contract obligations. Foodservice demand is noted as soft or lighter, especially in the Central region, where retail orders are improving but foodservice sales have not seen the same strengthening. In contrast, processed cheese manufacturers, after completing holiday demand fulfillment, are back to normal schedules and mainly see steady retail movement rather than new foodservice momentum. While some regions report tightening in specific cheese varieties (like barrels), overall cheese availability varies, and stakeholders in the West are already fielding early interest from buyers wanting cheese supplies for early 2026. Export demand continues to lag behind domestic demand, partly pressured by international price competition, but domestic spot demand and overall production remain stable Source: USDA AMS as of November 14
Fluid Dairy	Class I - Decreasing Class II - Increasing	Class I - Available - Steady Class II - Available - Steady	Class I: Milks will decrease for November. Class II: Creams & Cultured will increase for November.
Oils/Shortening/Margarine	Mixed	Available - Steady	Based on News Stories and speculation thereof, the Soy Oil Trading markets to a short jump in pricing and then settled back down after reality set-in. Based on such, there will likely be little change in the price of a JIB of oil in the coming days. The price of Canola will follow this trend as well. Though we have seen some slight softening in the price of margarine and cube shortening (Palm Products) in recent days, there is likely no significant change on the horizon as we move into the holidays. Tariffs on the imports of Palm Oil are still in place with little change. Meat Fats are still selling at a premium as has been the trend all year. Product has become exceedingly tight on tallow in most markets. There is simply not enough supply to cover growing demand. It is highly recommended that Operators use other mediums as a primary source for frying and keep their purchases of tallow to a minimum until this situation changes.
Produce	Lower - Avocados, Broccoli, Lemons Steady - Apples, Avocados, Iceberg, Romaine, Value-Added Lettuces, Onions, Idaho Russets Higher - Oranges, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Strawberries	Improving/Steady - Broccoli, Lemons Good/Steady - Apples, Avocados, Onions, Idaho Russets Short/Strong - Oranges, Iceberg, Romaine, Value-Added Lettuces, Strawberries, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes	Apples, tight supplies of smaller 125 & 138ct Apples. Avocados, MX market soft as ample fruit on trees + low demand. Bell Peppers, freeze knocked to GA & No FL crops. Market higher. Broccoli, supplies continue to improve. Market adjusting lower. Iceberg, Yuma harvest is light. Demand exceeds. Weights 34-39lbs. Value-Added at third tier of escalation. Market exceptionally high. Romaine, limited supplies, few Hearts. Light wts. Market very high. Tomatoes, freeze knocked out much of the southeast crop. South FL production survived but volume lower due to cool temps. Strawberries, limited supplies for a few more weeks until FL & MX start. Recent 5 day rain has quality at fair. Market exceptionally high. Oranges, Navel supplies lower as no harvest for 7 days due to rain. Lemons, new area harvest starting.165/200ct tight. Onions, WA/ID/OR storage quality is good. Strong demand. ID Potato Bumper crop! Norkotahs mostly #1s. Market on floor.
Sugar	Steady	Available - Steady	Domestic Sugar prices have remained steady as we move through the heavy baking season. Current crop supply is steady to cover any increased holiday demand. The domestic harvest of both cane and beets is running as expected and at this time sucrose levels are looking good in both crops. If this trend continues throughout harvest (harvest typically concludes in late January), then pricing levels should remain steady longer term. Current import levels are not very strong for refined sugar based on typical government policy. This will likely remain through spring.
Shell Eggs	Increasing	Available - Steady	Shell egg demand has slowed following the peak of Thanksgiving baking season, with retailers shifting focus toward holiday meats and away from eggs, while trading activity remains moderate to active across most categories. In the foodservice sector, egg processors report muted demand for egg products as carton eggs absorb much of the available spot market supply, leading breakers to rely more on existing stocks and imports to maintain normal or slightly elevated production rates. Production of egg products typically slows toward year-end as in-shell egg demand rises for holiday use, and egg products stocks—including frozen and dried components—show mixed changes, with some categories up and others down from last year. The overall share of cage-free eggs in both processing and inventories continues to grow, with cage-free now making up 38.7% of the U.S. table egg flock, even in the face of losses from avian influenza outbreaks predominantly affecting both caged and cage-free operations. Eggs for foodservice are trading at steady rates, with adequate supplies and mostly full processing schedules, though overall demand from foodservice buyers remains light compared to the seasonal retail surge. Source: USDA AMS as of November 19
Wheat (Flour Based Products)	Steady	Available - Steady	The trading markets for wheat have been steady to slightly down over the past couple of weeks. Supply is still adequate to cover current demand. We are not expecting any significant changes as we move through the remainder of the month. Most finished goods that incorporate flour as a primary ingredient are maintaining steady pricing levels with no major changes expected in the near term.
All UniPro Foodservice Sales Market Insights information is based on domestic US market data only, unless indicated otherwise. The UniPro Foodservice Market Sales 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.