Soaring Beef Prices Drive Demand for Goat and Lamb

Goat is the most widely consumed meat everywhere except America.  The States have a poor perception of the farm animals, but that, fortunately, is changing, thanks to a rise in cattle prices.

Kevin Good, senior analyst at CattleFax, explained that beef costs are rising due to cattle herds being decimated after multiple years of drought that drove of feed prices.  Cattle farmers are rebuilding their herds, but the process takes up to three years, so prices are likely to stay high until 2016 or 2017.

For chefs, this means turning to alternatives, and goat is an exciting meat right now.  Stephanie Izard, chef of Girl and the Goat, won a James Beard Award for her cooking, which was basically dedicated to the animal.  Her menu includes goat liver mousse, goat carpaccio, and confit goat belly, to name a few items.  Similarly, Scott Conant, James Beard Award winner and founder of Scarpetta, has championed goat for years on his menu.

And this is a boon for guests and grocery shoppers.  Goat is lower in fat than chicken, but higher in protein than beef.  Lamb, which is already more widely consumed in the States than goat, is also seeing a rise in demand.  Multi-unit concepts are embracing the meat and using it in place of burgers.

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