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New NC Choices study compares prices of local beef in bulk to store bought premium brands

A recent price analysis from NC Choices compared prices of local beef bought in bulk to premium and natural brands purchased at select area grocery stores. You may be surprised at the results.

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Farm (photo courtesy MeatSuite.com)

A recent price analysis from NC Choices compared prices of local beef bought in bulk to premium and natural brands purchased at select area grocery stores. You may be surprised at the results.

Back in April, we shared information about a new website, MeatSuite, which was designed to help address the increased demand for meat and higher prices due to Covid-19. Through the MeatSuite.com website, consumers can find nearby local farms selling pasture-raised meat in bulk quantities.
MeatSuite is a project of NC Choices, a program of Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) and NC Cooperative Extension, housed within NC State University.

This week, NC Choices has shared some new information comparing the prices of local, pasture-raised meat in bulk to natural and premium brand meats at select local grocery stores.

According to their recent price analysis, purchasing local, pasture-raised meat in bulk not only saves money as compared to local meat sold by the piece, but can actually be more affordable in a side-by-side comparison than natural and premium brand meats at some local grocery stores.  Plus, customers can get added organ meats and bones for stock and they are supporting our state's farmers and the local economy.

Highlights of the study include the following according to Sarah Blacklin, Director, NC Choices:

· Local meat in bulk on MeatSuite.com from NC farmers was cost competitive (when buying the cuts and pounds equivalent to an average quarter of beef) and actually lower than the average of three major supermarket chains in NC.

· Families or individuals who can't cover upfront bulk purchasing or have limited storage can "cow-share" with others and receive the same savings.

· Shoppers get an assortment of different cuts, making meal planning more interesting including great steaks and specialty cuts you might not otherwise buy in a grocery store.

· Shoppers save money AND support local farmers.

According to Matt LeRoux, NC Choices’ Ag. Marketing Specialist, "We looked at online beef prices from 3 major grocery chains, using stores in the Raleigh area. We arrived at a weighted average price for each store, and averaged the 3 resulting in $8.22/LB. For local beef, we used the average price observed on MeatSuite for quarters of beef. There are 18 farms offering a price specifically for a quarter with a $8.09/LB weighted average across all cuts for bulk local."

The local beef and grocery store products are very different, shared Mr. LeRoux. "For starters, NC-grown local beef supports local farms and processors and contributes to the local economy. In addition, farms on MeatSuite offer other value-added claims for shoppers seeking claims such as grass-fed, pasture-raised, no added hormones, no antibiotics, and so on. Also, the grocery store quarter would not include soup bones or other optional items, like heart and ox tail, but our local quarter does plus you get a range of cuts like ribeye steaks!"

As you can see, the study compared the price of local beef bought in bulk to natural and premium brand meats at select local grocery stores. For those of you who are not used to buying the premium meat brands at the grocery store including grass-fed, pasture-raised, etc, the price/lb mentioned above may seem very high. But if you do prefer those types of meat, the $8.09/lb cost for the local beef in bulk is a competitive price, especially since it also includes cuts like ribeye steaks.

If you are interested in buying meat in bulk as we head in to winter and you want to support our local farmers, take a look at MeatSuite.com. You'll be able to find multiple farmers in the area who sell directly to customers.

Once you get to the website, enter your zip code. Then click on the pull-down menu to choose the type of meat you are looking for (beef, chicken, pork, lamb, duck, rabbit). A list of farmers offering each type of meat will be shown. Click on the View link for each farmer to see more information about the specific farm and pricing.

For those interested in trying new recipes with cuts from your MeatSuite purchases, they have launched a meal planning guide for beef and pork, partnering with area chefs and food bloggers. Head to nc10percent.com/meal-planning to see the recipes.
Jim Smith of Smithview Farm (photo credit: NC Choices)

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