Summers here and with that a lot of us like to hang outside and do a lot of grilling.
Today’s post is by Troy Lowe; Vice President of Development at SafeSourcing.
Summers here and with that a lot of us like to hang outside and do a lot of grilling. If you are one of the people that enjoy grilling, you may have noticed the price of beef is reaching record high prices. The average price for a pound of ground beef just before the Fourth of July was $6.67 a pound, which is about seventy cents more than May and 50 percent more than five years ago. One of the main factors behind the rising prices is the shrinking cattle population. According to experts, the national herd has declined to around eighty-seven million, which is the lowest recorded since 1951. Part of the problem is the prolonged droughts which devastated grazing pastures in the cattle producing states such as Nebraska, Texas, and Kansas. These droughts have forced many farmers to cull their herds which account for the lower population. Another issue that also affected the cattle is growing cases of the New World Screwworm which is a parasitic fly whose maggots burrow into and feed on the flesh of the cattle. This led to the halts of imports from Mexico to the U.S., but the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently stated that some of the ports could reopen soon. Unfortunately, the USDA predicts that cattle prices will remain elevated into 2026, which means the retail beef prices probably won’t drop for several years. Even with the high prices, it remains Americans’ second-favorite choice of meat, according to the USDA, with nearly fifty-seven pounds of it being consumed per person annually. Until the prices start to come down you may want to look into some of the following options to reduce your costs.
- Choose the Right Cuts
- Buy Whole Cuts and Trim Yourself
- Stretch your Meat with Fillers
- Buy in Bulk and Freeze
- Consider other Grilling Options like Chicken and Pork
- Make your own Rubs and Sauces
If you need help sourcing items for your company, feel free to contact SafeSourcing. We can gather all the necessary information for you and help you decide which company and product meets your needs. If you would like more information on how SafeSourcing can help you, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service representative. We have an entire team ready to assist you today.
