"People are switching to cheaper proteins. They're eating pork, they're eating chicken."
"Analysts attribute the decline to soaring beef prices, lower cattle supply and weakened household purchasing power. The opening of Argentina's beef market to international trade has also pushed domestic prices closer to global levels."
"Beef moved into a completely different purchasing-power category. Workers' wages fell far behind," said Juampi Quintero, 25, a meat distributor who estimated consumption among his clients has fallen by more than half."
"Since coming into office in December 2023 with an annual inflation at 211%, Milei promised to eliminate what he called "the cancer of inflation" through an adjustment plan that included cuts equivalent to nearly one-third of public spending, symbolized by the image of a chain saw."
Workers in Buenos Aires prepare and unload beef for wholesale customers, while chicken and pork appear more frequently among meat offerings. Red meat consumption in Argentina has fallen to the lowest level in two decades amid austerity measures under President Javier Milei. Annual per capita beef consumption reached 44.5 kilograms as of April 2026, down from 49.5 kilograms a year earlier and 63.4 kilograms in 2006. Higher beef prices, reduced cattle supply, and weakened household purchasing power are cited as drivers. Opening Argentina’s beef market to international trade has also aligned domestic prices more closely with global levels. Distributors report consumption among clients has fallen by more than half as beef shifts into a lower affordability category.
Read at Fortune
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