New Record: Pound of Ground Beef Tops $4 for First Time

CNS News ^ | September 17, 2014 | Ali Meyer

[C19fan]

Although the overall Consumer Price Index dropped by 0.2 percent in August, the price index for food rose 0.2 percent, with the average price for a pound of ground beef rising to $4.013 per pound--the first time it has ever topped $4 per pound.

In July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price for a pound of ground beef had been $3.884 per pound—which was the record price up to that point. From July to August, the average price jumped 12.9 cents, an increase of 3.3 percent in one month.

[C19fan]

Red meat is a luxury item in our house.

[Vermont Lt]

Its been way above $4 a pound around here (Western MA) for a long time.

I hadn’t done the shopping for a month. The price changes were staggering when I went back at it a few weeks ago.

[PATRIOT1876]

Necessarily skyrocket.

Necessarily Skyrocket!

NECESSARILY SKYROCKET!!!

[goldstategop]

I don’t buy fresh beef. Price is outrageous.

I can get 8 frozen patties for slightly more than the cost of a single pound of raw ground beef.

[NY.SS-Bar9]

Thank God early archery season is only two weeks away. Eating way too much pasta lately.

[Psalm 73]

"Red meat is a luxury item in our house."

Ours too - because we are burning cattle feed in our cars.

[mothball]

Barack Obama putting in work, G !!!!!

[aomagrat]

Read the ingredients. A lot of frozen patties are cut with soybeans.

[C210N]

Gotta be rich today to afford red meat, ground meat, and the like.

These luxuries are limited to those with EBT cards.

[taildragger]

Cube Steaks used to be $4.99 lb are now $8.99. I have been told it is a number of factors. The culling of the herd a couple of years back because of grain prices, H2O shortages, and the Asian buying have made supplies tight. Those that bought a freezer and stuffed it in anticipation of a "Fundamental Transformation" of the meat supply were ahead of the curve :-).

[goldstategop]

No one is buying filet mignon.

[Edgar3]

Good thing there’s no such thing as inflation when a dem is in power, or we would be screwed!

[Beagle8U]

Early antlerless season opens Sat here, Archery is a week later on Oct 1st.

The limit is...well, there is no limit.

[goldstategop]

The very cheapest cuts of beef can be flavorful if cooked long enough.

People have lived on skirt and flank steak for decades.

[Obadiah]

Have you seen the price of beef??

Have you seen the price of butter??

Have you seen the price of milk??

Yeah, no inflation. The Obama economy is just great.

Excluding fuel and food the CPI is way down, right?

[PAR35]

Chained CPI - if the price of steak goes up, folks will change to ground beef. If the price of ground beef goes up, people will change to hot dogs. And if the price of hot dogs go up, people can start eating grass. So there is no inflation.

So shut up, eat grass, and enjoy the stable economy that Washington and the International Bankers have given us. The economy is going great. Big Brother says so.

[MrB]

I guess those with EBT cards will have to go on a budget...

or the gov’t will simply increase their allowances to make up for it.

Anyone want to give an over/under on which will happen?

Yep, nearly made it through typing that with a straight face.

[goldstategop]

More chicken, turkey, pork and seafood.

[Born to Conserve]

The meat that costs $4 is the meat that always used to cost half as much as ground beef — the factory sludge made from canning grades that tastes like garbage and is full of bone chips. If you could find good ground beef like we used to have, it would cost $8.

[manc]

we are lucky if we can afford a steak once a month today. Must be nice for those who don’t pay for their food and get steaks and fish.