Calgary Herald - XL Recall has reduced beef consumption.

[buzz]

CALGARY HERALD: CANADIANS EATING LESS BEEF SINCE XL FOODS RECALL

<http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Canadians eating less beef since Foods recall/7684861/story.html>

Two out of every five Canadians say they have reduced their consumption of beef in the wake of a massive recall linked to an Alberta packer, according to a new survey.

[DogPatch]

Trust the media to select what parts they wish to report. In my household, we haven't decreased our consumption.

It there is any reason that consumers are cutting back, its because of the price that retailers are charging for ground beef. That is what determines consumption, and not the XL situation. Hard to find lean ground beef in any supermarket for less than $3 a lb.

[SCS]

Media school for most would have fifth graders, who didn't want to do PHS ED1

SCS

[grassfarmer]

I disagree Dogpatch price has little to do with it. Last
time I checked there were queues of people at all the
fast food drive throughs where they pay a lot more
than $3/lb for a few grams of hamburger, a bun, a
lettuce leaf and some tomato sauce.
We need ground beef to be more than $3/lb to pay
for it's production.

[rkaiser]

Total agreement from me on that one
Grassfarmer. People are waking up to the
whole commodity game played with food.

Participation in the whole value chain
has shown me a thing or two about
blaming any one sector for screwing
things up. Price is not a factor. People
are willing to pay for honesty and
trust.

Consumption of beef may have fallen off
at the commodity level due to the ecoli
scare. Like to see a report on how much
consumption of non commodity beef has
risen. Even with prices that would
likely have old Dog Patch calling us
crooks...LOL

5 years of the same prices here at
Second to None meats. Come on in and
check them out...

[ASRG]

To some degree the XL recall might still be affecting beef at the meat counter, but price might also be a factor? Chicken seems fairly reasonable?
Price might not mean much to the affluent. Everyone doesn't have an oil patch job?
From a cow/calf perspective these "high prices" are no more than we were getting in 2001....or for that matter in 1992! How much has the price gone up in the meat case? How much has gasoline, electricty, property tax, natural gas, housing, etc.? Boats, RVs?
As long as we will produce cattle for very little, the price will remain slightly above (or below) break even?

[DogPatch]

fast food is a prime example of value adding.........

If the media is saying people are consuming less beef, its the beef in the supermarket that the fixed income and low income families buy (or are not). For whatever reason (lack of education) the lower income families are buying junk food (chips, soft drinks) rather than buying the 1lb of burger that has way more nutritional value.

[forage]

Two more recalls annouced today.

[ASRG]

Dog Patch: One time I was at the check out behind this girl with a toddler and a cart full of cookies, pop, chips, licorice. In those days they still sold cigarrettes at the till and she got a carton. She whipped out a welfare check and the cashier said you have to get this signed at the office. The girl was kind of mad but grabbed the kid and went to get the check approved.
I looked at the cashier and said something about the crap she was buying. The cashier said they are all like.... buy a bunch of junk and then go to the food bank for some real food!

[rkaiser]

It is always about choice ASRG. Taking away choice is about control.

We will never be able to sell everyone a higher priced beef product, however, allowing people choice is becoming a surprisingly satisfying venture. Think global and it becomes even more satisfying.

And that does not even account for your point ASRG. Some people simply make very silly choices.