Will lower beef prices lower the price of a Big Mac or a taco?
Maybe, maybe not. McDonald's is the largest buyer of beef in the United States, last year buying about 800 million pounds. That only accounts for 3% of beef consumed in this country, some of us are eating a lot of beef! Last year (2014) McDonald's announced they will start moving towards purchasing "only sustainable beef". Starting in 2016 purchasing some amount (yet to be determined) of sustainable beef. The problem? What is sustainable beef? With no accurate definition of what is and what isn't sustainable beef, this switch to sustainable beef may take awhile.
So why announce your going start buying it next year?
Posturing to be the "MOST" politically correct is my guess. I will also guess that when they, the stakeholders that will define "sustainable beef" (won't be ordinary consumers like us), but beef shot callers like Walmart, Costco, McDonald's, Cargill, Tyson Foods, Golden State Foods, Rainforest Alliance, World Wildlife Foundation, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, to name just a few. Raising cattle, processing beef, selling beef and eating it, will never be the same again. Just two of the stated goals, is the welfare of cattle throughout their lives (how about consumers lives?). Also optimize cattle's impact within ecosystems and nutrient cycles (very lofty goals).
I think lower beef prices will be temporary and very short lived. Say good-by to the $1 fast food menu, hello to $6.00+ a pound ground beef and real "rare" steaks.
This hamburger is brought to you by:Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB).
Can you say "Where's the beef"?
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