Like beef? Some cuts may finally be getting more affordable.
New figures Tuesday from the Arizona Farm Bureau Federation show that a pound of sirloin tip roast cost shoppers an average of $6.58 a pound in the first quarter. Thatβs down about 40 cents a pound from the prior four months.
Still, it remains expensive by historical standards.
Two years ago it was less than $6 a pound. And the year before that you could get the same cut of meat for less than $5 a pound.
There has been a similar increase over the years for the less-expensive ground chuck.
But the $4.25-a-pound figure for the most recent quarter is nowhere near as much of an increase as sirloin: Ground chuck was selling for $3.83 a pound in 2012.
The common thread seems to be water, or lack thereof. Drought makes feed more expensive. And farmers, facing those higher costs, often cut the size of their herds.
A more financially reasonable alternative appears to be chicken, with the Farm Bureau reporting that its shoppers paid an average of $3.36 a pound for boneless breasts this past quarter. Thatβs about 80 cents less than in the same period a year earlier.
Deli ham also is less expensive, averaging $3.46 a pound versus $4.59 a year earlier. And a pound of bacon is setting the average shopper back $4.46 now compared with $5.05 a year ago.
There was not much price change for most of the other items in the market basket of 16 typical items.
The quarterly survey is based on what federation shoppers found at markets around the state. The prices do not reflect use of coupons or the affinity cards that many supermarket chains provide that give holders additional discounts.
