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Inflation is getting bad enough that weekly grocery haul for a family of five can easily cost hundreds of dollars. We’ve needed larger denomination bills for a while, the only reason we don’t have them is that it makes life easier for drug dealers.
Groceries have gone up, but every time I see people on the internet quoting some ludicrous grocery budget for a small family it always turns out to be 'well we eat ribeyes and lobster for our meals, drink cokes instead of water and need enough oreos to snack on'. Normal staples just don't cost that much.
Beef is undeniably high. And yeah beef consumption in America was not always as high as it is currently, but it's not a rebuttal to claims of inflation to say "well maybe we should return to humbler lifestyles." In fact that's a concession with finger-wagging attached.
Yes beef is high, but nobody ever thought eating steak very often was a reasonable expectation for normal people.
Steak no, but pot roast or ground beef? Those were staples for my family growing up, and we were not well-to-do.
Just looking at my own grocery bill, the prices of a lot of common staples like beans, eggs, rice, milk, flour, ground beef, etc... have all gone up 100-200% in the last 10 years and my gross income has not.
When my eldest was first starting to eat solid food a log of ground beef typically went for around $2.50/lb, today I feel lucky if I can find it for $6.
Chuck roast used to be around $4/lb. pre-Covid, and now I'm lucky if I can find it for $10/lb. on sale
Just remember that meat eating is bad, so pricing beef out of the range of ordinary people is all for the greater good in the long term.
Even over here, beef prices are going up and it's harder to find the usual cuts. The fancy stuff is still there, but no way in Hell I'm paying €59.99/kg ($35/lb) for the most expensive stuff (it really is gorgeous meat, but who can afford that?)
What I'd call decent mince (not full of fat and gristle) is around $8.82/lb. The supermarket range of what is on offer has shrunk, and they are selling more mince, meatballs, diced beef, and those kinds of products.
I expect thinking like that in the Biden administration is the big reason for the increase (keeping in mind the market is global). It's very easy to make policies which increase the price of things. And even if Trump has found and removed them, it takes years to grow cattle for market.
But ground beef in my area is about $6.00/lb for 80% lean.
Isn't a huge chunk of increased prices for premium grocery products (meat, cocoa) competition with huge new markets in China? As you say, the market is global.
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