(24 Jul 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Norwalk, Connecticut – 23 July 2025
1. Stew Leonard Jr. with prime rib
++COVERED++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Stew Leonard Jr., Grocery Store Chain Owner:
“Hi Stew Leonard Jr. from Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk, Connecticut, right now and I’m the CEO.”
3. Butcher cutting beef
4. Leonard with tenderloin filet mignon
++PARTLY COVERED++
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Stew Leonard Jr., Grocery Store Chain Owner:
“Here’s basically what’s happening. It’s a supply and demand issue right now because the herd sizes across America are the lowest they’ve been since 1951. So you have a really short supply. In the meantime, we get all our customers coming in to Stew Leonard’s, and they want to grill baby grill, okay? They want to fire those grills up so there’s a great demand for it right now. That’s ticking up the beef prices.”
6. Butcher cutting beef
7. Tenderloin filet mignon for sale
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Stew Leonard Jr., Grocery Store Chain Owner:
++PARTLY COVERED++
“If you wanna ask people about the appetite for beef, this is it right here, okay. This is the big guy right here. People love this thing. I sorta call it the Fred Flintstone cut. But it’s a prime rib.”
9. Shopper Gabe Ferreira browsing ground beef section
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Gabe Ferreira, shopper:
“If you like meat, I guess you’ll pay for it, you know? So I do love meat, so.”
11. Shoppers in meat section
STORYLINE:
Anyone firing up the grill this summer already knows hamburgers and steaks are expensive, but the latest numbers show prices have climbed to record highs. And experts say consumers shouldn’t expect much relief soon either.
According to U.S. government data, the average price of a pound of ground beef rose to $6.12 in June, up nearly 12% from a year ago.
The average price of all uncooked beef steaks rose 8% to $11.49 per pound. But this is not a recent phenomenon. Beef prices have been steadily rising over the past 20 years because the supply of cattle remains tight while beef remains popular. That’s not likely to change.
But this is not a recent phenomenon. Beef prices have been steadily rising over the past 20 years because the supply of cattle remains tight while beef remains popular.
In fact, the U.S. cattle herd has been steadily shrinking for decades. As of Jan. 1, the U.S. had 86.7 million cattle and calves, down 8% from the most recent peak in 2019. That is the lowest number of cattle since 1951, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Many factors including drought and cattle prices have contributed to that decline.
Stew Leonard Jr., owner of eight grocery stores in the New York City area, says the increased prices for beef has not led to a decline in shoppers buying beef at his stores.
===========================================================
Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/43bc5389da1e40ed8c7582c28962bfd2
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in July 29, 2025, 9:05 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
