Americans are eating much less beef, but lots
more chicken.
The Center For Science in the Public Interest
says per capita beef consumption has fallen to the lowest level since the
1950s, but chicken consumption continues to set records.
Per capital beef consumption is about 44 pounds
a year now, about 30 per cent less than the late 1970s.
Annual chicken consumption has more than
doubled to about 46 pounds per person since 1970, while pork has held steady
for three decades at around 30 pounds per person annually, according to the
report.
There has also been a recent shift from prime
beef to lower-priced cuts, especially to ground beef sold as hamburgers and in
many other forms, such as sausage and new heat-and-serve products.
Last winter, a market analyst from the United States told the annual meeting of the Waterloo Cattlemen's Association that he thinks the demand for feedlot cattle will continue to decline, but that there will be profits for cattle grazed on ranches and pastures and fed only forages during the winter.
He predicted the North American beef industry will split into two well-defined streams with separate pricing and much different quality specifications from packers.
