With more consumers turning to less expensive cuts of meat, like ground beef, the price of premium cuts has dropped to a very low level. This is good news for restaurants who can sell the top notch beef at a lower cost.
To compensate for the reduced demands of meat, the industry is producing less and letting the cattle pasture longer. Since the cattle are going to market at an older age, there are more premium cuts of beef: mature cows have better marbling.
However, consumers and chefs shouldn't wait to take advantage of the cheaper beef, the low prices might be short lived:
Beef prices will likely rise more in the late spring and summer, when demand goes up starting with Mother's Day and continuing through summer because of grill-heavy holidays such as Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day and Labor Day.
While I've been more inclined to buy cheaper meat these days, it's good to know that the price of something is dropping, and perhaps, the next time I'm out, I will opt for steak. How about you? Have you changed your meat habits?
Killah
Acne Jeans
StyleBop
well it's just another sign of the times and i don't know if it's a good thing or bad thing. i think that from a consumer standpoint we always want the best deals and the lowest costs, but when you think about the other side of it, you also want to ensure that the people who are manufacturing / producing the goods are able to maintain their businesses as well. it's a catch 22. at least for myself - i'm not a meat eater - so this one doesn't affect me at all. my fiance will probably like it though since he's a Texan through and through and LOVES his steak.
1Yeay ... I can get steak again!
2Nice! I don't like to prepare meat at home, so I like to go for steak if I'm out.
3As long as the prices are probably going to go back up, I don't see a problem with taking advantage of the dip. I may have to serve up a few steak dinners this month to my steak-loving husband.
4Honestly, as a former butcher, I lament the situation. With the current trend, we get a better product for a cheaper price, but we will consume more until prices level out and then we will allow the prices to become inflated once again and the product to become sub par. Then we will go out and consume poorer quality products in mass quantity because we believe it is a right to have these things in our diet. We do not send a message that a higher quality product is worth waiting for, or desirable for companies to produce, just that we want to consume; no matter how poor the quality may be.
5As I have family in the beef industry my meat eating habits wont change. I don't eat beef when I go out as I can generally get better stuff for a better price than the restaurants around me serve and I can afford. Beef prices usually cycle. At least they do here...its all about demand and rain.
6I love steak!!
7I don't really eat steak, or any red meat for that matter...I order seafood when I go out to eat, probably about 90% of the time.
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