Meat quality decline?

sudsandswine

sudsandswine

Quintessential Chatty Farker
Joined
Jun 23, 2012
Messages
6,435
Reaction score
1...
Points
113
Location
Kansas City
I was going through Google's caching of all my personal data, I mean Google Photos, tonight looking for a particular picture and it led to me seeing pictures of a bunch of meat I've purchased over the last 4 years. During 2014/2015 in particular, but even 2016, it kind of seems like I was consistently getting better looking, more marbled beef and pork than I'm getting from Costco and Sam's now. I'll still stumble across a gem, but rarely do I see anything as nice looking as these pictures in the coolers now. I take pictures of almost every cook I do, so I know it's not a case of me taking pictures of the good stuff while leaving the lesser stuff out. Prices haven't really increased, but I feel like quality has declined.
 

Attachments

  • cb2.jpg
    cb2.jpg
    37.7 KB · Views: 411
  • cb3.jpg
    cb3.jpg
    64.2 KB · Views: 410
  • cb4.jpg
    cb4.jpg
    63.3 KB · Views: 410
  • cb5.jpg
    cb5.jpg
    52.2 KB · Views: 412
  • cb6.jpg
    cb6.jpg
    54.9 KB · Views: 409
  • cb7.jpg
    cb7.jpg
    64.6 KB · Views: 408
  • cb1.jpg
    cb1.jpg
    81.4 KB · Views: 414
My thoughts on that, there is such a huge demand for these commodities and the farmers are in such a rush to get the animals to market that the animals don't have time to mature and develop to a top quality grade of meat, so we end up with a product that was rushed (perhaps some by hormones) to maturity in order to fill consumer demand. It makes me want to try organically raised animals to see if there is a difference.
 
Yeah, I think it is a matter of what Costco and Sams can source and choose to stock rather than a general decline in the beef supply. If anything, there has been growing demand for higher quality/graded beef. That may be fetching higher prices elsewhere and pulling it out of the warehouse stores.
 
It's the feed that they finish the cattle on that determines the quality of the finished product...
I've worked for 37 years in the animal nutrition industry...Mostly in the production end...I can tell you that many (not all) feedyards are finishing beef cattle on garbage that cattle were never meant to eat...This guarantees a predictable rate of gain per dollar that beef producers need. It's all about the money...And as long as we keep buying the crap, they will keep putting it out...
 
I am not sure I can buy that argument. Costco and Sams (and Wallyworld) provide so much volume purchase from a supplier, they can dictate the terms and quality. That sort of massive volume provides massive profits for a vendor, even with smaller margins.

I agree with Suds that the decline is there, can't put a finger on the cause though.
 
Agree 100%. Went to "The Fresh Market" yesterday for a steak since I'm on my own. their "prime" cuts for $19.99 per # looked like any old choice cuts. Skipped the "fresh" place and went to safeway. better luck there but really had to weed through to find a good one
 
There's been a steady and continual decline over the last 40 years, but what I've noticed the last few is really sad. Some of the prime steaks I see (and even eaten, unfortunately) would have been select a few decades back.
 
I dont generally purchase high dollar steaks but I do look at them everytime Im at costco to see if I find one I can not live without. More and more lately I am noticing how poor the prime cuts look. No idea who is buying them at that price but someone must be.
 
The Beef industry has been on a roller coaster the last few years. There was a big feed shortage due to a major drought that increased the feed conversion rate in terms of cost. That thinned the American herd out to levels below anything in the last 50 years. Also, chicken is now America's protein of choice, and the Beef industry is trying to get closer to "Just in Time" inventory just like the rest of American industry. The days of produce, warehouse, and sell in bulk are long gone. This has resulted in ranchers not holding cattle to the point of maturity that they did in past years.
Prime graded beef goes mostly to restaurants, mainly because the average consumer sees Prime grade marbling and thinks that it is poor quality because they have been taught that red is beautiful. You don't see your steak before it is cooked in most places, so you only tase the result.
 
The prime cuts of steak at my Costco look like the choice at best
from my local The Fresh Market.
At least here in FL..the Prime at my fresh market is well marbled and very good typically (its similar to a Whole Foods type store) and the choice beef at my Publix has steadily gotten worse over the last 5years IMO. If I can even remotely help it I won’t buy beef there which is sad because I love publix for everything else the service the ribs, butts etc. I have an Earth Fare local as well and I can’t even eat there grass fed but the grain choice steaks are usually a notch above super market quality. I know publix sources most of there beef locally so I’m not sure what happened to the quality of beef in central Florida as it used to be good..
 
Gore said:
There's been a steady and continual decline over the last 40 years, but what I've noticed the last few is really sad. Some of the prime steaks I see (and even eaten, unfortunately) would have been select a few decades back.
Click to expand...

I don't think you understand how a carcass is graded. Select, Choice, and Prime aren't some arbitrary values which change according to the year, but instead are determined by a very intense and in-depth equation.

https://meat.tamu.edu/beefgrading/
 
bschoen said:
I am not sure I can buy that argument. Costco and Sams (and Wallyworld) provide so much volume purchase from a supplier, they can dictate the terms and quality. That sort of massive volume provides massive profits for a vendor, even with smaller margins.

I agree with Suds that the decline is there, can't put a finger on the cause though.
Click to expand...
The quality they want includes the volume they need as a factor, I'm sure.
 
Prime steak is just looking ragged these days. I've been to Costco several times this year so far looking to get some steaks for a dinner and ended up having to go with something else because they all looked awful.

I've also noticed the same thing with Brisket. I look at the cases and they're often filled with flats so thin they would cook and turn to rubber in a few hours. Now if I really want one I have to get the meat dept guy at Costco or Sams to bring me out a case or two to look through and find one winner.
 
It's not only beef but pork as well..love the fat ring on a fried chop if I could only find it :sad:
 
This timeline Coincides with the Rise in Popularity of Pellet Grills............:shock:
 
I've noticed the same thing. Just went to Costco today with my wife and thoroughly scanned the meat section. Wound up buying some fish for my first fish smoke, to be PRON'd tomorrow (if it turns out worthy of photos!:shocked::wink:)

Like SmokeFreak, I spent many years in agribusiness and still watch commodity prices on the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The weird thing is that Live Cattle futures in nearby months have tanked for some time now. I've been expecting $2.00-$4.00/lb. drop in boneless ribeyes, for example, for over 4 months. Hasn't happened yet. I thought maybe restaurant demand is so great that it's supporting high beef prices; could be.

But if we believe, as experienced meat people, that the quality of beef we can get hold of has declined while prices haven't, I can only believe that a good bit of milk cow beef has entered the market, parading itself as steer beef. That's my read and I'm sticking to it. The clue? What I've noticed is thicker muscle sheathing, which indicates an older bovine. Shifty farkers!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

rwalters
Offset kettle smoking vs Pellet smoking
Replies
6
Views
781
gtsum
G
snadamo
Chicken and Steak Fajitas (PICS)
Replies
16
Views
1K
Big George's BBQ
Big George's BBQ
snadamo
Meat Stick Fail and Analysis
Replies
9
Views
1K
snadamo
snadamo
B
Prime filet-a short story
Replies
9
Views
487
HogGrog
HogGrog
sudsandswine
Just a lil brisket
Replies
9
Views
598
snadamo
snadamo
Back
Top