Soaring Hamburger Prices

Hi folks. The most recent Datum FS monthly best practices webinar recording is now live on a bonus Farm to Fork: The Innovators Podcast episode. We explore Group Purchasing Organizations (GPO's) from supplier, distributor and operator perspectives. Listen on your favorite podcast player or click here.

The commodity markets were clicking last week led by grains and dairy. Corn and wheat futures have been supported as of late due in part to crop concerns in Russia. And the CME cheese markets are trading near 19 (think Bernie Kosar) month highs. As a matter of fact, and you know I like those, CME cheese block price increases in May are on track to be the second steepest for the month in over a decade.

Conversely, major hamburger ingredient 50% beef trim could average at its lowest level for May since the Pittsburgh Penguins were on their way to winning their fourth Stanley Cup in 2016 (had to get the homer call in there with the earlier Bernie Kosar reference). But that does not mean that hamburger costs are inexpensive by any means. Unfortunately for the Hamburglar, the 90% beef trim markets are at record highs causing the overall cost to produce a hamburger to jump like Mike. And this likely isn't a short term problem with the USDA recently showing beef production declines near 5% in 2025.

Want to learn how Datum FS can help you anticipate commodity volatility? Learn more at DatumFS.com or direct message me. Thanks for reading.