• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

Photo credit: Annie Spratt, Unsplash 

There’s no shortage of edible intel on America’s growing protein obsession—and so far, consumers seem willing to pay the price.

Whether spurred by the popularity of GLP-1 drugs, which emphasize protein intake, or by diet trends from keto to paleo, Americans are in a full-on stampede for animal protein. As a result, meat prices—especially beef—continue to climb even as domestic production tightens.

“The U.S. is facing the highest beef price in history and so needs to import more and more because production is not there to support the demand,” said Wesley Batista, whose family controls JBS, the world’s largest meat producer, in comments reported by the Financial Times. The FT notes that the average price of ground beef has jumped 13% in the past year, to $6.32 per pound in U.S. cities.

A recent report from Northern Ag Network traces that demand back to the pandemic, calling beef “an affordable luxury.” Per-capita beef consumption is projected to reach 60 pounds this year, with 87% of production graded Choice or higher. But that appetite has forced a shift: shoppers are trading down from ribeyes to ground beef or roasts, squeezing lean-beef supply and driving a 91% surge in Brazilian imports in the first half of the year. Overall, the U.S. imported 30% more beef, according to FT.

New data from Euromonitor suggests the protein craze is evolving. While the U.S. consumer base remains roughly 50/50 male and female, younger women are emerging as the fastest-growing segment. “This audience is newly buying into the value of protein and seeking metabolic, hormonal, performance and aesthetic benefits,” Euromonitor tells Marketing Daily, citing social-media influence.

Among the brands capitalizing: Vital Proteins, which recently launched a Collagen & Protein Shake blending beauty and satiety benefits, and Levelle Nutrition, a D2C startup tailoring protein formulations to women’s menstrual cycles.

Protein enthusiasm is nothing new—long strongest among consumers in their 20s—but the pandemic reignited it, as many looked to bolster immunity and energy. With beef increasingly costly and plant-based eating more common, shoppers are branching out to protein shakes, powders, bars, eggs, and even milk, which has seen its first U.S. consumption uptick since 2009.

For now, America’s protein economy shows no sign of slowing—just shifting to whatever form consumers can afford.