Animal close-up

Beef is Clucked

Beef prices got ridiculous, and the winner winner is chicken dinner

Beef has gotten significantly more expensive than chicken and pork. Consumers are responding accordingly.

8/6/24 3:44PM

Companies that sell food are growing bullish on chicken and bearish on beef as consumers continue to search for cheap meals.

Drought and high interest rates have contributed to a dwindling supply of cattle in the US, shooting up the price of beef. Meanwhile, grain prices have dropped this year, which boosted the supply of chicken.

This has propped up consumers' taste for chicken, and food companies have risen to the occasion.

Taco Bell's parent company, Yum! Brands, reported greater interest in the chain's Cantina Chicken menu drove sales growth. McDonald’s, long known for its burgers, reported that its chicken sales are now on par with its beef sales.

Gunther Plosch, chief financial officer at Wendy's, put it simply: "Beef and fries are inflationary for us. Chicken is deflationary."

A pound of sirloin steak has gone from about $6 in 2006 to $11.50 as of this summer, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That means a steak is more than twice as expensive as a pork chop ($4.40) or chicken breast ($4.05) per pound.

The cost of a steak has always come at a premium, and ground beef was the more affordable option.

Until 2012, a pound of ground beef was cheaper than a pound of boneless chicken breast or pork chop.

Now, ground beef is almost a $1.50 more per pound.

The chicken gold rush has led share prices for meatpackers like Tyson and JBS to rise during an otherwise gloomy moment in the stock market.

Dwindling US cattle supplies are squeezing Tyson's beef business, its largest unit. Chicken has made up for that lag: Tyson’s poultry business made $307 million in profits in the quarter, the highest since 2016.

“Chicken had one of its best quarters in some time,” Donnie King, CEO of Tysons, told analysts.

Fabio Sandri, CEO of Pilgrim's Pride, noted that unlike other moments when beef was significantly pricier, now consumers are particularly value-conscious. Pilgrim's Pride, which is controlled by the Brazilian food giant JBS, also reported increased demand for chicken.

"The difference or the gap between ground beef and boneless skinless breasts for the end user has reached record highs in terms of gap," he said. "I think what's different is that the consumer today, different than in the past, it is looking for deals."

Tom Jones6/24/26

Prime Day is here again and Amazon’s subscription service has never been more popular

Well, it’s that time of year again: many have made their wish lists, people are scraping together the money they’ve saved to pick out a perfect gift, some are presumably leaving out refreshments for the weary delivery drivers and, more and more, drones.

It’s Amazon Prime Day — meaning that it’s the second day of the four-day promotional event that Amazon still calls Prime Day — of course, and it’s even come early this year, with the company bringing the period into late June from July, when it’s been traditionally held for the last five years.

The Prime Age

Alongside the eyes and endless clicks that the arbitrary stream of listicles on “The Best Prime Day Deals” that almost every media outlet pours into, Amazon will also be cheering the fact that there’s now more Prime users than ever before to devour the retailer and its sellers’ sometimes-contested “discounts.” Indeed, according to the latest annual estimates from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), there were just over 200 million American shoppers using Amazon’s massive subscription service at the end of 2025.

Max Knoblauch6/15/26

Electronic Arts launches a platform to put more ads in its games

Video game publishing giant EA launched a new platform on Monday designed to make the process of selling immersive ad space in its popular games easier.

The company says the platform, called EA Advertising, allows brands to “integrate directly into gameplay through dynamic, real-time placements, from stadium signage to custom in-game content.”

More so than other studios, EA has incorporated advertising into its most popular titles. As Kotaku points out, the company’s ad efforts stretch as far back as 2006. Several of its sports franchises already feature partnerships with brands like Visa, Lowe’s, Red Bull, and PepsiCo.

In-game advertising hasn’t exactly been embraced by fans, but industry experts expect it to ramp up as companies seek more revenue to offset higher games budgets and surging memory costs. EA rival Take-Two has taken a different approach, with CEO Strauss Zelnick recently saying the company was “not at risk of doing brand partnerships” in the forthcoming “Grand Theft Auto VI,” and that ads in full-price games seems “unfair.”

The $55 billion deal to take EA private, led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is set to close at the end of this month. Being the largest leveraged buyout in history, EA will likely look for more ways to boost revenue to cover interest payments.

Electronic Arts Makes Push for Ad Dollars Tied to Sports

Millie Giles6/11/26

JM Smucker says it sold $1 billion worth of Uncrustables in FY2026

After years of booming sandwich sales, JM Smucker has finally earned a billion-dollar crust.

On Tuesday, the company reported results for fiscal year 2026, highlighting better-than-expected profits driven by higher prices for coffee and sweet baked goods. However, at another point on the earnings call, CEO Mark Smucker pointed to one particularly jammy figure: in line with previous forecasts, the company sold $1 billion worth of its (almost always) crustless sandwiches, Uncrustables, in the last year alone.

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

Paramount reportedly offers concessions to resolve multistate antitrust investigation

Paramount has reportedly offered up some concessions in an effort to prevent an antitrust lawsuit by California and about 10 other states, according to Bloomberg reporting on Monday.

Reuters first reported on the potential suit from a group of unnamed states last week, which could throw a wrench in Paramount’s plans to buy rival Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood megamerger.

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

Paramount Offers Concessions to Head Off State Antitrust Lawsuit

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

$98B ⛽

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

The IATA released its latest financial outlook for the airline industry over the weekend, forecasting a $98 billion jump in the sector’s collective fuel bill. The world’s largest trade group representing airlines expects the oil spike to halve profits by 49% from last year to $23 billion.

The group also expects profit margins to halve year over year, falling from 2025’s 4.2% to 2%. Still, revenue is expected to climb to $1.17 trillion from $1.07 trillion.

A surge in the cost of jet fuel has rocked US and global airlines this year, leading Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and others to raise fares and ancillary charges like bag fees. Low-cost carriers, which operate on smaller margins, have been squeezed the hardest, resulting in Spirit’s shutdown.

“It’s a tough year for all airlines, especially those whose balance sheets had not yet recovered from COVID. And, of course, for those operating in the Gulf,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh, who added that demand is holding up and about half of passengers expect to spend more on travel this year. “That bodes well for a strong northern summer peak season. The big unknown is how long travelers and shippers can tolerate the higher costs of connectivity.”