Distribution
The agents involved in the distribution of meat and meat products include:
	1. Wholesalers, to include meat suppliers, depots, traders, importers, exporters, specialist foodservice suppliers 2. Supermarkets 3. Traditional butchers 4. Independent grocers 5. Direct sales outlets, such as farm shop, farmers markets, delivered/box schemes 6. Foodservice companies
Wholesale Within the meat industry there is a complex network of companies "wholesaling" meat and meat products to both final sellers (e.g. retailers and caterers) and to further processors (e.g. to all other types of plant in the meat sector). Some wholesalers are also importers and exporters. To differing extents all of these are servicing the needs of the many companies in the secondary processing sector, as well as the fresh meat and processed meat requirements of the independent butchers, caterers and others in the foodservice sector. The majority of abattoirs, abattoirs/cutting plants, stand alone cutting plants, catering butchers and other secondary meat processors will also be acting as wholesalers. Some will sell directly to retailers, while some will sell to specialist wholesale trading companies, which will then sell within the general marketplace or onto other companies who specialise in servicing specific sectors, such as high-class caterers. Part of this wholesale trade is still to an extent centred on central markets such as Smithfield, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham. Companies operating from these markets typically service and catering demand in the large cities. There also exists between many abattoir/cutter/processors an arbitrage trade in cuts of meat. This allows abattoirs to sell the parts of the carcase that their main customers do not want and also to top up on additional quantities of the parts that they do want. Retail The retail market for fresh meat is today dominated by the large supermarkets.
Today, all of the large supermarkets are supplied via their own central distribution depots, which source fresh product direct from the specialist cutting and retail packing plants of the large abattoir/processors. Foodservice The foodservice or catering market is divided into:
	The profit (or private) sector – commercial establishments such as restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, pubs, cafes, events and functions caterers, tourist attractions. The cost (or public) sector – local authority or government establishments in the areas of education, health care, prisons, MoD, police and fire service.
Caterers purchase to a precise specification to achieve the same presentation of a dish time after time and demand consistent portion sizes. The catering butcher has special skills to serve this demand.
For more information: Services, publications and websites British Meat Processors Association Request how to set up a butchers shop leaflet Selling pork direct to the consumer Selling beef direct to the consumer Selling lamb direct to the consumer National Federation of Meat and Food Traders Cold Storage and Distribution Federation Institute of Refrigeration National Assoociation of Catering Butchers Supplying the caterer successfully - pdf