Read a USDA report that said 40% of beef trimmings get ground for burgers

I was looking at some industry numbers online and saw that stat from last year. It made me rethink how much of a whole side we're really breaking down versus just grinding. Do you guys find that ratio matches what moves through your shop?

3 comments

3 Comments

beth7191mo ago

That "40% of beef trimmings get ground" number feels about right from what I see. The demand for ground beef is just so steady, it drives a lot of the breakdown. It makes you wonder about the real cost of keeping those cheaper burger packs full.

river_wright1mo ago

Forty percent is actually a huge number when you picture the total weight of a whole cow. That's a massive amount of meat being redirected from other possible cuts just to meet the demand for ground beef. It really shows how much our burger habit shapes the entire butchering process.

simonreed1mo ago

Look at the numbers too much and you'll drive yourself crazy. So what if a lot of trimmings go to grind, that's just smart use of the whole animal. The burger case has to get filled from somewhere, and it's not like those cuts are going to waste. Feels like people make a bigger deal out of these stats than they really are.