Will imported beef lower prices? Here’s what a butcher says shoppers should know

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) - Over the next three months, 300,000-metric tons of imported beef will be sold to U.S. consumers at a discounted rate, according to the Trump administration.

The imported beef is expected to help lower beef prices.

You will not find imported beef at Stoysich’s House of Sausage in Nebraska. All the beef there is locally sourced.

“There’s too good quality of beef right here in the Midwest. Why should I import it from anywhere?” owner Ken Stoysich said.

Stoysich’s family has been in the business for more than six decades and uses only beef from the United States, much of it sourced locally.

Stoysich said importing beef might be a good idea but does not think customers will see it in grocery stores.

“It’s probably going to go to the fast food industry, which is nice. It will ease supplies on the grocery store and should bring beef prices down a little bit on ground hamburger,” Stoysich said.

What shoppers might notice

Stoysich said imported beef will have to be labeled as such if found in grocery stores, and he believes it will likely be grass-fed with a different taste than what shoppers are used to.

“When it comes in as hamburger, there’s hardly any fat on the product, and so it makes real nice lean ground beef,” he said. “If they’re using straight grass-fed beef, you won’t get that richness, that beef flavor.”

Stoysich said all beef is grass-fed, but whether it is “finished off with grain” affects how it tastes.

Limited impact expected

The tariff exemptions apply to trimmings used to make ground beef. Stoysich said shoppers should not expect a price reduction for steaks and other cuts of beef.

“Everything else is going to be steady. Unfortunately, the holidays are coming, so prices are going to go up,” he said.

Stoysich admits he tried imported beef once.

“I have to say though, I tried Canadian beef once. Totally disappointed, and that’s what totally stopped me,” Stoysich said.

What to look for at the store

Shoppers should pay attention to labels on the beef they buy. “Product of USA” means the product comes from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States.

Shoppers can also look for the American Grassfed Association-certified sticker for U.S. grass-fed beef.

If beef is imported or blended, the country of origin will appear in small print near the nutrition label or ingredient list.