WASHINGTON, DC – Beef and veal remain the biggest food-price outlier in USDA’s 2026 outlook, keeping consumer costs elevated while cattle supplies remain tight. The Economic Research Service forecasts beef and veal prices will rise 9.4% this year, more than triple the projected increase for all food.
Through August, beef and veal prices were 5.9% above a year earlier and averaged 8.7% higher through the first eight months of 2026. The 20-year average annual increase for the category is 4.5%.
Other animal proteins are showing much less inflation. USDA forecasts pork prices up 1.2% in 2026 and poultry up 1.0%, while the broader meats category rises 5.2%.
The gap reflects different supply conditions across livestock sectors. Beef prices remain tied to a historically tight cattle supply, while pork and poultry producers can generally expand output more quickly when market signals improve.
USDA’s midpoint forecast calls for beef and veal prices to rise another 4.7% in 2027. That remains above the agency’s overall food inflation forecast of 2.0%.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Beef remains a major food-price outlier as tight cattle supplies continue supporting consumer prices above other animal proteins.