Another '70's flashback: The meat crisis
Filed under: Budgets, Food, Shopping
With the return of inflation, insane gas prices, and Peter Brady, it's started to look like the 1970's revival is almost complete. However, as any cultural historian will attest, no reiteration of the polyester leisure suit decade could be complete without a good, solid meat crisis.Most experts agree that the 1972 meat crisis was caused by a massive reduction in the population of anchovies living off the coast of South America. As these tiny fish migrated elsewhere, farmers who relied on them for animal feed had to pay ever-increasing prices, driving up the cost of beef. This, in turn, led to black market butchers, runs on beef supplies, and the rise of pasta as a main dish.
In time, of course, meat supplies stabilized and prices dropped, but the damage had been done. For many families, ethnic dishes that were less reliant on flesh became part of the regular menu, arguably contributing to the rise of gourmet cookery. Regardless, the huge slabs of meat that once characterized the average American's diet became rarer. Although beef certainly made a comeback, it never really regained its position at the center of the daily dinner table.
Of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same. According to the National Restaurant Association, beef prices have risen almost 20% since August 2007 and are poised to go up another 5% to 8% over the next year. Part of this inflation is due, once again, to increases in the price of feed. Midwest floods, the rise of corn ethanol, and an increase in food exports to Europe have all driven the cost of grain upward. At the same time, increases in the price of gas have also made it more expensive to transport meat from farm to stockyard to market.
Prices in restaurants are rising across the spectrum, from top-notch eateries to fast food chain Wendy's, which has raised the price of its quarter pound burger by 4-8 cents in the past year. Meanwhile, McDonald's is contemplating either raising prices on its dollar menu or changing the items that it offers. Stay tuned for the McTofu!
Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. Luckily, he has a lot of recipes for roadkill.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-16-2008 @ 7:15AM
Skip said...
Wasn't the first crisis the chicken crisis
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10-16-2008 @ 3:17PM
Cynthia Khan said...
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10-16-2008 @ 3:27PM
GreensEater said...
It was not so much a "beef shortage" in the 70's.The beef was available BUT no one would buy it at the prices that were being charged.People boycotted beef......starting commuting together due to the "gas shortage" and consumerism was done with caution. People learned to eat a lot healthier lotsof organic vegetables and less animal flesh.Even the higher income people simply would not tolerate the attempts at "gouging" them. AND yes people were MUCH more earth friendly and green in the 60's and 70's.It is about time we all get back to basics and save our beautiful planet.
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10-24-2008 @ 11:45PM
swolfy said...
100 years ago nobody ate meat every day.
70 years ago nobody ate meat every day.
Vegetables are better for us and we choose not to eat them- maybe this will make people revert to healthier diets anyway.
(Not to mention factory farming is the most evil institution on the planet, IMHO. Look it up, there's no reason to subject things we plan on eating to such awful conditions or feed them things that we consider unsafe for *us* to eat. We are eating them in a roundabout manner- melamine, plastic, sawdust.... all used as fillers because they are cheap!)
support local farmers and eat more real food :)
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