WOOSTER, Ohio — Foodservice analysts have been tracking the tremendous rise in the popularity of premium hamburgers for the past few years. With an increasingly sophisticated consumer base willing to pay more for premium offerings, large chains like McDonald’s and Harvey’s met that demand with upscale items like Angus burgers, experiencing a sales spike as a result.
But it’s not just premium burgers that consumers are craving. According to a new report on cattlenetwork.com, the public wants premium beef, period.
Despite a severe economic downturn, U.S. Certified Angus Beef sales have shattered records across North America. Product sales from Oct. 1, 2008, to Sept. 30, 2009, topped 663-million pounds, surpassing the previous fiscal 2008 record of 634-million pounds, by 4.6 per cent.
Canadian sales were up 11 per cent to nearly 27-million pounds, which is a record number in a year when total U.S. beef exports to Canada declined 12 per cent.
Photo courtesy of McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited.
