Price And Health Fads
Hurt Beef Consumption

OMAHA, Neb. —(AP)— Many people prefer beef to other meats but will not eat it because they think they shouldn't, nutritionist Ann Grandjean says.

She told of a restaurant luncheon she attended with a dozen people. She was the only nutritionist, and she ordered last.

Others around the circular table ordered chicken, fish or vegetables.

"I ordered a hamburger and french fries," she said. Instantly, she said, everyone else at the table changed their orders to hamburger and fries.

Eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet, Grandjean said, beef is perfectly healthy. She said some people avoid red meat based on what is trendy, not on good information.

Industry analyst and cattle feeder Andy Gottschalk of Colorado agreed that consumers probably still prefer the taste of beef, but not at prices that are much higher than chicken, pork or turkey.

"They are voting with their dollars and we are losing ground," said Gottschalk, of Linnco Futures Group of Englewood, Colo.

It often isn’t on sale, however, even when it could be. At an Omaha area supermarket, packaged chicken thighs for 99 cents a pound sat a few feet away from boneless rump roast that cost $2.19 a pound and USDA Choice T-bone steak that was $5.59 per pound. Never mind that the cattle they came from cost 60 cents a pound live.

Some shoppers buy beef no matter what the price or trend.

"I like beef. I'm a man and I work hard," said David Butler, 58, who moved to Omaha from the San Francisco area six months ago. "I'm a beef eater."

Brenda Cook, 35, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, had just finished her food shopping for the week.

In her shopping cart was hamburger, ribs, and steak. There were no other meats for her family. No excuses, either.

"We're beef eaters," she said.