Argentina's Beef Consumption Falls to 44.5 Kg, Lowest in 20 Years as Prices Jump 60%
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 16
Argentina's Beef Consumption Falls to 44.5 Kg, Lowest in 20 Years as Prices Jump 60%
13 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 16
44.5 kilograms per person in April marked Argentina’s lowest annual beef consumption in two decades, down from 49.5 kilograms a year earlier and far below 63.4 kilograms in 2006.
Beef prices rose more than 60% over the past year to about 18,500 pesos per kilogram in Buenos Aires, while registered wages increased 1.8% in February against 2.9% monthly inflation.
Milei’s austerity drive cut roughly one-third of public spending, reduced subsidies and eliminated ministries, leaving households with less disposable income for higher-cost foods such as beef.
Export liberalization and tighter cattle supply added pressure: beef production fell more than 10% after floods and droughts, while first-quarter exports jumped 54% to nearly 200,000 tons worth over $1 billion.
Butcher shops are responding by stocking more chicken and pork, which sell for roughly 4,900 and 8,900 pesos per kilogram, underscoring a broader shift in Argentine diets.
While Argentines eat less beef, why is the U.S. now importing a record amount?
With beef now a luxury, is donkey meat the surprising future of the Argentine dinner table?
Is Argentina sacrificing its national dish on the altar of radical economic reform?