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By Alex McCuaig

Canada Beef

Retail demand for beef products skyrockets, restaurant demand tanks

Apr 3, 2020 | 11:21 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The Alberta and Canadian beef sector is continuing to see a unified message from cow-calf operators, feedlot associations, breeders, processors and marketing groups in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thursday saw the heads of the different sectors once again hold a National Beef Industry town hall to discuss the sector’s response to the rapidly changing landscape.

“Beef demand at retail is up significantly – 50 to 75 per cent. Consumers have aggressively stocked up on groceries and supplies at home,” Micheal Young, president of Canada Beef, said during the town hall. “Unfortunately, the food service and hospitality sector has been hit the hardest with reports from 50 to 90 per cent deceases in demand, depending on category.”

Young, whose organization markets Canadian beef nationally and internationally, told CHAT News Today demand was and continues to be solid but the shift to the retail sector has been dramatic.

“I think Canada is well positioned to weather the storm, especially on the cattle side, as long as we can maintain processing capacity and distribution,” said Young. “The government has done a good job in identifying food production as an essential industry and I do believe they are working with us throughout the different sectors to make sure that production, supply chains are still functioning.”

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That’s not to say there haven’t been issues with processing after the Harmony Beef facility near Calgary was temporarily shut down following a worker being diagnosed with COVID-19. A Quebec pork processor has also been required to shutter for two weeks.

Young says the costs of measures to ensure processing plant employees are maintaining physical distancing guidelines and safety protocols during the current pandemic are increasing costs but retail prices so far haven’t been affected too much.

And with people stuck in their kitchens, one thing Young says Canada Beef has seen is an uptick in the popularity of its beef recipes on its website.