Blame the beefcakes.
America’s beef obsession is colliding with a cattle crisis. US cattle inventory fell to a 75-year low earlier this year, even as demand remains historically high. Add a war with Iran affecting diesel prices and supply chains disrupting fertilizer and feed costs — the result?
Soaring beef prices and draining household budgets.
The world’s biggest beef consumers — the US — eat more than 13 million metric tons a year — and now pay nearly 8% more for beef than they did a year ago, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
You’d think rising beef prices would force consumers to switch to cheaper animal proteins like chicken or turkey. But think again.
Even as beef prices climb, two groups remain hungry for their favorite protein — the gym obsessed and GLP-1ers, according to studies co-authored by assistant professor at Arizona State’s Morrison School of Agribusiness, Justin D. Bina. And both are willing to pay a premium to get their protein fix.
Bina’s report revealed fitness-maxxers will spend up to $1.91 more per pound for ribeye steaks from retailers and grocery stores and up to $2.47 more at a restaurant. He told The Post that the physically active population is a more reliable consumer base, bolstering protein purchases.
While Bina didn’t intentionally break the data down by gender, he found that males “were more frequently engaged in strength-based exercise, indicating that they consume protein intentionally to aid in their fitness goals.”
Translation — gym bros are behind the demand for beef, which then beefs up the cost.
Coach Dre, a 31-year-old natural bodybuilder and fitness coach from Ohio who goes by GainsbyDre online, told The Post that the cost of high-protein foods is an often-overlooked expense in the fitness world, where building muscle can mean spending more on food.
Dre himself eats beef four to five times a week, usually opting for a New York strip steak.
Even as prices continue to climb, the Cleveland stud isn’t backing down. He shells out hundreds of dollars a month to hit his protein target, scarfing down lean beef several times a day.
“I have noticed the sharp increase in beef prices, particularly because as a macro-conscious bodybuilder, I typically will only buy 93/7 and 96/4 beef to avoid the extra calories from fat,” Dre told The Post. “I still have the steaks four to five times a week, but this is now costing me close to $300 a month.”
Dre understands that not everyone can afford the inflated costs, so he has alternatives.
“The price of these leaner beef options has gone up quite a bit, so I’ve switched over from eating ground beef twice per day to instead eating ground turkey. I’ve also given my client options to substitute ground beef for ground turkey, and sirloin steak for chicken thighs, being conscious of cost,” he told The Post.
The other study focused on GLP-1 users and protein consumption, finding those who take the jab were also more willing to pay a premium for protein products.
“What we found was basically that using or starting to use GLP-1 medications increases your demand for certain protein products,” Bina told The Post. “So another way to put that is, once you start using these GLP-1 medications, you actually are willing to pay more per pound of these products that we were evaluating.”
Colorado resident Amy has been on the weight loss medication for just over six months and has lost more than 50 pounds, telling The Post that the jab has been a “literal lifesaver” to her.
Amy revealed that she eats beef several times a week, and now has an aversion to other proteins like chicken and fish. When she dines out — which is usually once a week — she typically orders a juicy steak — a huge change from last year when she would have steak about once a year.
While high prices are a nuisance — they’re not a deterrent.
“I am absolutely willing to pay more. I’m saving money by not buying the snacks and sweets, so I don’t mind splashing out on a steak,” Amy told The Post. “I went out to eat last Wednesday and they had a $50 filet mignon on the menu. We were only doing drinks and appetizers, but now I’m thinking about going back to get it this weekend.”
But the beef boom goes beyond gym rats and GLP-1 users — and they’re far from the only ones to blame for rising prices.
Bina told The Post that beef marketing has done a great job for over 30 years. We’ve all seen the 1992 ad, “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.”
And now, beef has some high-profile help from Washington. In January, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the USDA unveiled new federal dietary guidelines featuring an upside-down food pyramid that puts protein-rich foods at the top.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told The Post, Secretary Kennedy’s dietary guidelines for Americans “recognize red meat as one of several sources of high-quality protein and essential nutrients, and the image of beef in the food pyramid reflects that guidance.”
With the federal government now emphasizing protein and featuring red meat in its dietary guidance, beef is getting another boost to its health-conscious image, which could help sustain consumer interest in beef, even as prices climb.
Beef producers, ranchers and processors have also made beef more appealing — and tasty. Today, the industry is able to extract more meat and choice cuts per animal thanks to refined cattle genetics and meticulous butchering techniques.
“Producers have also done a great job of just changing the quality of the cattle that we’re producing, so the end beef product is just more desirable. It’s more flavorful,” Bina told The Post. “There’s just a better eating experience, and that’s taken years and years and years.”
Over the past few years, brands have taken notice, too. With protein all the rage, companies have rushed to cash in on the craze.
We’ve seen McDonald’s create and promote a larger burger — the Big Arch Burger. It’s a protein-packed monster with two quarter-pound beef patties, weighing in at 14 ounces total — compared to the measly 3.5 ounces of a standard burger.
Chipotle also got in on the trend last year, offering customers a 4 ounce bowl of chicken or steak, designed as an add-on or a snack for protein-minded bodybuilders.
With beef demand high and supplies tight, what comes next? Bina thinks another nutritional trend could soon steal the spotlight: fiber.
“I am of the opinion we’re swinging. We’re on one side of the pendulum right now, and we will eventually swing back. We’re already starting to focus more on fiber, so I think we will eventually start to swing back as other nutrients are important too,” Bina told The Post.
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