Global Beef Shortage Bites: Taco Prices Surge as Restaurants Struggle to Keep Iconic Dishes

"You may have already noticed that the price of our beef taco has increased. [...] This is not the most joyful news, but it is justified," declares the Brussels taco restaurant Gringo on its Instagram page. According to him, this increase is explained by the global beef shortage. "Due to the global beef shortage, we have, after careful consideration, decided to increase the price of our suadero taco (made with beef cooked at low temperature, editor’s note) by €0.50, because we do not want to remove this iconic dish from the menu. [...] At first, we tried to reduce costs by using other parts of the beef" due to reduced profitability, explains Aldwin Camus.

This solution proved ineffective. "The neck is just as good and a little cheaper. At first, these other cuts made up for the loss of profit margin. But after a while, it was no longer enough," he says. Other restaurants have also tried to keep prices at an affordable level. "[...] We are not the only ones looking for solutions to keep prices affordable. As a result, these alternative products have in turn become scarcer with our butcher and other suppliers. They too have raised their prices. This shifts the problem," further explains the Gringo manager. His restaurant has also followed the lead of other establishments.

"After careful consideration, we have therefore decided to offer slightly more expensive tacos. We are certainly not exaggerating by adding €0.50. We can see that 70% of customers understand it, but many are unaware of the current problem in the beef market," adds Aldwin Camus. This rise in meat prices is also observed elsewhere. For example, in Morocco, lamb leg costs 120 dirhams per kilogram in July, while mutton is sold at 110 dirhams, just like veal. As for the prices of lean meat, minced meat and "sausages", they fluctuate between 120 and 130 dirhams for the same quantity.

"This situation is not limited to Belgium. Other European countries such as the Netherlands and France, as well as the United States and Canada, are facing similar difficulties," he specifies, also noting that this price increase is not new. "The Belgian Meat Federation (Febev) has been talking about an "inexorable rise in beef prices" since last March. This is because the market has reached a tipping point, resulting in a global beef shortage," continues the Gringo manager.

Roel Dekelver, spokesperson for Delhaize, provides further explanations. "This is a structural trend that has been visible for some time," he explains. And to continue: "On the one hand, bluetongue disease is affecting many cattle, leading to a decrease in the number of animals and, consequently, in the available beef. On the other hand, more and more farmers are abandoning livestock farming because they are aging or have no successor, or because of the controls on nitrogen emissions that need to be reduced. Supply is lower, while demand remains relatively stable compared to previous years."