Grocers' printed advertisements this week set the stage for a battle between premium beef steaks and cheaper cuts among the three main protein categories for consumers' food dollars.
In addition to steaks, grocers widely promoted ground-beef products, chicken breasts along with some pork chops, spareribs and country-style ribs. All of these are popular for cooking on the backyard grill.
Bone-in and boneless/skinless chicken breasts were more prevalently advertised on the front pages of the newspaper inserts than they had been since before the Memorial Day holiday. A decline in wholesale prices since May encouraged grocers to promote more chicken, analysts said.
Many retailers included two or more premium steaks, such as T-bones, strips, and rib-eyes, in their circulars along with mid-priced sirloins or the cheaper chuck and round steaks. Although consumers tend to spend less for food in the second half of the month due to tighter budgets, steaks typically sell well throughout June during the heart of the spring grilling season.
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