Meat & Seafood is the protein backbone of a grocery assortment, gathering animal and aquatic proteins along with plant-based alternatives into one destination department. It spans the sub-categories a buyer expects to source together, including Beef, Pork, Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Lamb, Seafood, Deli Meats, and Plant-Based Meat. For wholesale and export buyers, protein drives traffic, basket size, and center-of-plate meal planning across retail and foodservice. Because most items are highly perishable, the category is defined by cold-chain integrity, whether fresh, chilled, or frozen, plus strict shelf-life management and temperature documentation through transit. Cross-border movement of animal proteins is among the most heavily regulated food trade, involving veterinary certification, approved-establishment requirements, species and origin rules, and destination-market inspection. Formats range from bulk primal and case-ready cuts to portioned, value-added, and fully cooked items. Cut mix, grading, packaging method, and certification such as halal or organic are common sourcing considerations that shape suitability for a given market. Buyers typically drill into the individual sub-categories to match species, cut, and format to their channel and destination requirements.