Beef is a go-to American staple, and its popularity skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many home cooks sharpened their skills in the kitchen and people consolidated their grocery shopping into fewer trips while maintaining a freezer stash at home.

A combination of inflation, a labor shortage and supply chain issues have caused consumers to cut back on spending in recent months. However, consumers are still wanting good quality meals and demand remains strong in most convenience meat segments as shoppers continue to look for easy ways to create their favorite meals.  

Officials with Carolina Precision Foods LLC, a joint venture between Carolina Fresh Foods and Lake Foods, announced plans on June 16 to operate a further poultry processing plant in Florence County, SC.

 Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), a branch of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), announced a new effort to prevent the spread of the African swine fever (ASF) to the United States. 

The Juday Group, which has partnered with the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) since 2016, conducted a study to determine the returns that red meat exports brought to corn and soybean producers in 2021 nationally and in leading corn- and soybean-producing states.

The University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) released findings from its CFANS Insights survey. The survey pooled 1,010 American adults in May to learn current perceptions regarding food, agriculture and natural resources.