Vantastec 
2026 Festive Produce Search Demand Report
Welcome to the Vantastec 2026 Festive Produce Search Demand Report.
In this document, we will analyse the changes in search engine demand for fresh and frozen food and produce throughout the calendar year, and how this demand changes in the lead-up to Christmas.
We will also offer statistical analysis of exactly how much demand varies throughout the year, as well as which food groups experience the highest and lowest spikes in demand.
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It is common knowledge that Christmas is one of the busiest times of year for refrigerated van operators.
UK shoppers spent more than £13 billion on red meat and dairy in December 2023, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
This research helps quantify the seasonal demand of customers, calculating how demand could spike over Christmas compared to the rest of the year.
Table of Contents
Our Key Findings
- December saw a 56.11% spike in search demand across all fresh and frozen food categories.
- Meat searches spiked 122.96% in December.
- Turkey products saw the largest December surge, with searches increasing by 602.19%.
- Beef is the most-searched meat over Christmas, not turkey. It is also the most-searched meat overall.
- Lamb searches actually peaked in April, but Christmas searches were still 30.87% higher than the January-to-October average.
- Festive search demand began to pick up in November, with an initial 14.94% increase across all categories.
Methodology
Firstly, we will outline how we came up with our findings.
We constructed our analysis using Google monthly search data to gauge customer demand for a range of fresh and frozen food products in the UK throughout 2023, 2024, and 2025.
We then calculated a three-year average based on this data to understand the changes in month-by-month — and year-by-year — demand for a selection of fresh food categories.
Research was conducted using Google’s Keyword Planner tool to gather the total number of monthly searches for popular phrases within specific food categories.
The Keyword Planner settings used were:
- Location: United Kingdom
- Languages: All
- Devices: All
- Google Search only (no search partners).
The search phrases used in each category included a mixture of products known as festive favourites (e.g. turkey, mince pies, pigs in blankets) as well as foods stocked on shelves year-round (e.g. beef joints, lamb steaks, carrots, milk, and cheese).
The categories are:
- Turkey
- Beef
- Lamb
- Pork
- Game
- Butchers
- All meat categories combined
- Vegetables
- Desserts
- Dairy
- Condiments
- Canapes & starters
- All food categories combined
Using the search volumes from January to October, we calculated an average number for monthly searches outside the festive period.
Comparing this with search volumes in November and December, we determined exactly how much search demand spiked above the January-to-October average over Christmas.
We then analysed each food category, identifying which had the biggest demand spikes, and whether the festive period was actually their annual peak.
499 Google search phrases were included in total, equating to 137,972,117 annual searches.
A table of our findings*, categorised by year, month, and food group, can be found HERE. It also includes a list of all 499 Google search phrases we used for our research.
Keyword Planner volumes are rounded estimates. Search behaviour does not equate to sales or delivery volumes. It does, however, help us gauge consumer interest over time.
Combining these findings with previous sales volumes for each category will give businesses a more reliable insight into how seasonal demand might affect them.
*All data featured in this document was taken directly from Google’s ‘Keyword Planner’ tool using UK-specific search volumes and was accurate as of September 2026.
Our Findings
The table above shows the monthly search volume for each category, based on a three-year average of the last three full calendar years.
Here, we can see the month-by-month changes in search volumes, as well as total annual search volumes for each category.
We will now look at each food type in greater detail.
Turkey
According to Google’s data, turkey products averaged 56,669.67 monthly searches between January and October.
Search demand remained moderate throughout this period, with a slight spike in Easter.
Turkey shoppers seem to start planning for Christmas in November. Searches averaged 170,323.33, a 200.55% increase over the January-to-October average.
Search volumes then increased significantly, peaking in December.
With 397,930 average searches, December saw 602.19% more searches than the January-to-October average — the largest spike in searches for any food category in the study.
Beef
Beef products averaged 323,639 monthly searches between January and October.
They jumped to a 459,780 average in November, a 42.07% increase over the January-to-October average.
December saw the highest monthly searches with a three-year average of 611,570. This equates to an 88.97% increase over the January-to-October average.
June had the fewest average searches with 261,147.
Interestingly, December 2023 had more monthly searches (647,430) than 2024 (595,400) or 2025 (591,880), despite having the fewest total annual searches of all three years.
Lamb
Lamb searches between January and October averaged 203,158 a month. In November, this rose by 14.01% to 231.617. December search volumes rose further, increasing to 265,873.
Most notably, search volume for lamb products peaked in April, not December. It is the only meat category whose monthly searches did not peak over Christmas.
June featured the lowest average searches with 145,786.67.
Year-on-year data was consistent for both monthly volumes and seasonal changes.
March 2024 and April 2023/2025 were the main points of difference, but this reflects when Easter weekend fell.
Pork
This category’s search phrases cover all bases of popular pork products, including pork loins, gammon joints, and sausages.
According to Google’s data, January to October search volumes for pork averaged 180,173.
In November, this number increased by 17.91% to 212,447. December saw an annual peak, increasing 61.78% above the January-to-October average to 291,493.
Like lamb, June saw the fewest average searches.
Month-by-month trends for pork products were similar to beef and turkey products.
Game
Game had the lowest total search volumes out of all categories analysed.
Its January-to-October monthly search average was just 36,116. Though, like other meat categories, this figure rose significantly in November and December.
In November, searches rose 50.96% above the January-to-October average to 54,520.
In December, searches reached an annual peak of 61,790, which was 71.09% above the monthly average outside of November and December.
Month-by-month trends remained consistent over the last three years. There were no major variances in which months featured the most or least searches.
Seasonal trends were also consistent with other meat products.
Butchers
For the “Butchers” category, we focused on search phrases covering local brick-and-mortar butcher shops, delivery services, and online retailers. Such phrases include ‘butchers near me’, ‘fresh meat delivery’, and ‘online butcher’.
Between January and October, the average monthly searches for butchers were 337,701.33.
Building up to Christmas, searches increased by 5.14% to 350,870 in November. In December, searches increased to 24.82% above the January-to-October average, with 416,523.
December was the month with the highest average search volume, highlighting the rising demand for butchers and their services during the festive period.
February, meanwhile, featured the fewest average monthly searches.
Unlike the turkey or beef categories, searches for online and local butchers remained more consistent, with fewer extreme increases or decreases compared to the monthly average.
Searches in 2024, particularly from May to December, were noticeably higher than in 2023 and 2025. For example, August 2024 saw 479,080 searches, whereas search volume for the same phrases in 2023 was 60.04% less.
All Meat Combined
When combining all meat-related search phrases into its own category, we can determine the overall monthly trends for meat products.
Aside from the years when Easter fell in different months, monthly search demand remained consistent for each year.
There was a noticeable increase in searches in March and April, before a decline throughout summer.
Search demand then began to rise steadily from September, peaking in December.
The January-to-October monthly search volume averaged 585,201, giving us an idea of the typical search demand for meat products outside of Christmas.
In November, searches rose to an average of 882,530, 50.81% above the January-to-October average.
December searches increased further, reaching an annual peak of 1,304,793. This was a 122.96% increase compared to months outside of Christmas.
The quietest month was June, where search volumes averaged 442,610. This is actually 32.22% lower than the January-to-October average.
Vegetables
Vegetables saw a January-to-October average search volume of 1,175,648. Searches then rose by 10.68% in November, averaging 1,364,893.
Like other categories, search volumes reached an annual peak in December.
With average searches of 1,730,286.68 during this period, this equates to a 47.18% increase compared to the January-to-October average.
June saw the lowest average monthly searches with 1,008,826.67.
Search volumes began to steadily rise from September to December.
This highlights the richer harvests of root vegetables in colder months, as well as the shift in eating habits towards warming meals such as stews, soups, and roast dinners.
Desserts
Desserts was the second category whose annual peak did not fall in December.
It was also the only category which experienced a surge in searches over the summer.
June saw the highest average searches with 1,220,556.67. The rising demand for ice cream during summer was the likely cause. According to The Grocer, ice cream sales nearly doubled in June 2026, with record temperatures driving demand.
Leading up to Christmas, searches averaged 994,453 in November. This was down 5.08% from the January-to-October average.
Things picked back up in December, however. Searches averaged 1,127,996, 7.67% above the January-to-October average. This shows a clear rise in demand for dessert products over the festive season.
Dairy
Dairy products averaged 869,789 monthly searches between January and October. November saw 862,840 searches, 0.8% lower than the January-to-October average.
December picked up, reaching an annual peak of 965,623 monthly searches (+11.02%). September was the quietest month, averaging 817,430.
2025 saw unusually high searches in May and August, compared to other years. The same for October 2024. Otherwise, year-on-year patterns were consistent.
Condiments
By “condiments” we mean things such as gravy, stock, stuffing and other accompaniments to a roast dinner. We don’t mean items such as salt, vinegar, or ketchup.
Between January and October, monthly searches averaged 552,659. Volumes began to rise in November, increasing to 724,240 (+38.57%).
Search volumes peaked in December, averaging 1,101,192. An impressive 110.88% increase on the January-to-October average.
Year-by-year trends were very consistent. 2023 saw higher volumes, particularly in January, March, April, July, October, and December.
Canapes & Starters
Our penultimate category is starters/canapes. This category averaged 736,861 monthly searches between January and October.
Searches also peaked in December, rising 23.21% above the January-to-October average to 907,900.
February featured the lowest monthly searches with 676,450, which was 8.93% below the January-to-October average.
Other than a spike in October 2025, year-on-year trends remained consistent for this category.
All Food
“All Food” combines every category in this study, excluding “All Meat”.
By grouping all categories, we can analyse the seasonal demand for all fresh food categories associated with Christmas.
These findings are particularly relevant for general food retailers and suppliers who offer various types of fresh produce. For example: farm shops, grocery stores, or delicatessens.
The first spike in searches in the calendar year comes in Easter. March averaged 5,520,783.33 searches, while April averaged 5,141,960.
Search volumes remained steady throughout summer, before starting a consistent rise from September.
November then averaged 5,743,473.33 searches, 14.94% above the January-to-October average.
The annual peak for all food categories’ search demand fell in December. Searches averaged 7,800,880, a 56.11% increase on the January-to-October average.
June also featured the lowest average monthly searches (4,431,906.670).
Results
Categories with the biggest Christmas surge
- Turkey: 602.19%
- Meat (all): 122.96%
- Condiments: 110.88%
- Beef: 88.97%
- Game: 71.09%
- Pork: 61.78%
- All Food: 56.11%
- Vegetables: 47.18%
- Lamb: 30.87%
- Butchers: 24.82%
- Canapes: 23.21%
- Dairy: 11.02%
- Desserts: 7.67%
Meats with the most searches in December (3-year average)
- Beef: 611,570
- Turkey: 397,930
- Pork: 291,493
- Lamb: 265,873
- Game: 61,790
Meats with the most total annual searches (3-year average)
- Beef: 4,307,743
- Lamb: 2,529,073
- Pork: 2,305,673
- Turkey: 1,134,950
- Game: 477,467
Categories with the most total annual searches (3-year average)
- Vegetables: 14,790,137
- Desserts: 12,598,900
- Dairy: 10,526,357
- Canapés: 9,004,393
- Condiments: 7,053,023
Years with the most total annual searches
- 2024: 146,672,170
- 2025: 140,042,380
- 2023: 135,344,060
Analysis
December saw a 56.11% spike in search demand across all fresh and frozen food categories.
Most food groups peaked in December. All saw a surge in searches in December compared to their January-to-Oct average.
Festive search demand began to pick up in November, with an initial 14.94% increase across all categories. The only exceptions are dairy, desserts, and canapes. All of which had below-average search volumes in November.
Summer months feature lower volumes across the board before a continuous rise in Autumn, peaking in December.
Meat searches spiked 122.96% on average in December. Every individual meat type had a minimum 24.82% increase.
Turkey products saw the largest December surge, with searches increasing by 602.19%. The clear seasonality in search demand for turkey products is unsurprising, but remarkable, nevertheless.
Despite coming fourth out of the five meat types for total annual searches, it climbed to second for total searches in the month of December.
Analysing these numbers further, 33.48% of the total annual searches for turkey products were in December.
Comparatively, just 14.20% of beef Google searches and 10.51% of Lamb searches were made in December.
Turkey wasn’t the most popular Christmas meat overall, however. Beef was. It averaged 611,570 Google searches in December, 34.93% more than turkey.
This trend continued throughout the year. Beef was the most searched meat all year, averaging 4,307,743 annual searches. Second place was lamb, with 2,529,073.
The only meat not to peak in December was lamb. April saw the highest average volume of searches (304,790), but Christmas searches were still 30.87% higher than the average.
The next category with the highest percentage of total annual searches falling in December was condiments, with 15.63%.
These findings show that month-by-month search demand for all food groups follows a similar pattern.
Search volumes start above average in January, before spiking over the Easter period.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is clear that Christmas is a critical trading period for fresh food businesses.
Both the increase in online searches, along with the extensively reported increase in sales during this period, are evidence for this.
These findings highlight the importance of smooth business operations for fresh produce suppliers over the festive season.
To capitalise on this sharp rise in demand, businesses must ensure their operations and logistics are well-equipped.
Planning delivery routes and vehicle loading ahead of time can make fleets more efficient during this crucial time.
However, even the most thorough forward-planning can be disrupted by unreliable refrigerated transport.
To help you prepare, we’ve put together a full, comprehensive pre-Christmas fridge van checklist which you can download for free HERE.
If you’re planning on upgrading your fleet ahead of the festive rush, you can shop our full range of new fridge and freezer vans HERE.
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