Hamburgers in American restaurants are becoming a delicacy for ordinary Americans: their cost has increased for several years in a row, writes Bloomberg Businessweek. Record increases in beef prices and inflation could bring about the end of the era of cheap burgers, the publication warns.
Author:
https://rb.ru/author/ntihonov/
Subscribe to RB.RU on Telegram
According to Businessweek, in the second quarter of 2024, the average price of a hamburger in the United States jumped to $8.41 (+16%). At McDonald’s, the cost of a Big Mac (without fries or drink) reached $5.29 (+21%) in June. In this context, the country recorded a decrease in fast food sales for the first time since 2020.
Poor Americans visit McDonald’s less often; In the last four years, the chain’s sales have decreased by 0.7%. To attract customers, McDonald’s and other fast food chains organize promotions, but this does not solve the main problem – the continuous increase in meat prices.
A pound of ground beef in the United States cost $5.58 in August ($12.3 per kilogram, or almost 1,140 rubles at the exchange rate of September 26). The record growth is associated with a reduction in the number of cattle in the country.
Experts explain the situation as a consequence of the 2020 drought, when livestock farmers massively sent animals to the slaughterhouse due to the increase in feed prices. Today, high interest rates and operating costs are additional factors. Farmers are unsure whether this segment of agriculture will recover, and even if there are improvements, there is no guarantee that beef prices will fall, says Businessweek.
Author:
Nikolai Tikhonov
Source: RB
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
