Butchers Reveal What Kind Of Meat People Are Buying — And It's A Telling Recession Indicator

Summer grilling is looking a little different this year, according to butcher Michael Saperstein, co-owner of Sunshine Provisions in South Florida. Instead of selling thick-cut sirloin steaks, he’s mostly hocking ground beef and value cuts. With grocery prices sky-high (and set to keep rising thanks to unpredictable tariffs, shipping delays and supply chain gaps), shoppers are rethinking their meat purchases in real time — trading down, buying less or skipping meat altogether.

HuffPost spoke with butchers and meat experts about what’s flying off the shelves, what’s collecting dust and what it all says about the state of the economy.

What’s selling?

A heavy rotation of chicken thighs and ground beef at my dinner table has had my family begging for an alternative (any alternative) protein — and it turns out we’re not alone.

Now that ribeyes are off the table (financially speaking), Saperstein said, shoppers are getting creative and asking what else they can throw on the grill that won’t wreck their grocery bill.