031208 High-Protein Diets Causing Higher Beef Prices?December 6, 2003Green Bay, WI (WBAY-TV) - Getting beef and eggs at the grocery store is costing you more money. Prices are significantly higher nationwide. Part of the reason why are people losing weight on high-protein diets, who are driving up demand. The cost of beef is up 30% from a year ago. The price of eggs nationally has almost doubled since July. Getting groceries means checking prices for Mary Flentje. She's fighting price jumps on things like her family's favorite, ribeye steak. "The prices were right around six, seven, now they're up to eight, nine dollars a pound, and we don't buy them as often as we used to," Flentje said. It's the same for eggs. Last July a dozen Grade A large eggs cost 65 to 70 cents. The price now is $1.18 to $1.23. "Even with cooking for the holidays, I've noticed that it's costing me more to purchase eggs for baking and the morning breakfast," Flentje said. The choice for supermarkets is how to deal with rising prices without pushing cost-conscious customers away. "The customers really don't see it," Festival Foods store manager Dan Behnke said. "We're trying to work around it for the most part, but prices are increasing with the beef and the eggs, so it does increase the price on the shelf. Making the supply worse for both beef and eggs, imports of Canadian beef are cut off because of a sick cow there, and eggs are in short supply after an outbreak of disease at a California chicken farm.
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