Beef and Food Safety

• Consumers can feel good knowing that the beef they purchase is the safe, high-quality beef they know and love.
• Both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration are closely monitoring the situation and continue to remind consumers that the food supply is safe.
• Consumers seeking additional information can find it on FDA’s website or on USDA’s website
• Processing plants being slowed or temporarily closed to ensure the safety of workers can present challenges to the beef supply chain. While there is no widespread shortage of beef in the U.S., specific cuts, packaging, and quantities may be temporarily limited or unavailable in certain locations.
• These supply chain challenges may also temporarily impact product pricing, which is set by retailers.
• The beef community is committed to delivering safe and high-quality beef to consumers and is working diligently to return to full capacity as soon as possible.
• It is important for the food supply chain to remain operational throughout the pandemic for both consumers and cattle farmers and ranchers.
• Consumers depend on high-quality beef to feed their families.
• Cattle farmers and ranchers depend on food processing facilities to remain open so that they can continue to produce beef.  

Beef supply

• Worker safety is the paramount concern for cattle producers.  By providing supplemental protective equipment, implementing additional cleaning procedures, and employing social distancing in the plants, processing speeds are slowing. The result is a decline in beef production and some temporary shortages for consumers and food service.
• According to USDA, while some processing plants are still operating near normal capacity or slightly reduced capacity, there are several plants operating around 50 percent of their normal capacity to allow for worker protections and distancing requirements that will help keep plant workers safe and on the job. Currently, less than 10 percent of U.S. processing capacity is offline as additional protective measures and cleaning practices are being implemented. 
• It is important to note that there is not a shortage of cattle supply and there is beef available at retail and food service. However, disruptions to the supply chain may temporarily limit the availability of certain cuts or lead some retail and restaurant chains to limit purchases to ensure the continued availability of beef for all consumers. 
• There is no need for consumers to excessively stock up on beef. While the beef industry works through supply chain disruptions, there may be instances when grocery store shelves are not stocked at the same levels as they were prior to the COVID-19 crisis. However, beef is still available and will remain available. We expect these supply chain disruptions will be temporary and will begin to ease in the near future.   
• One great benefit of beef is its versatility. Oftentimes if you can’t find the cut recommended in a particular recipe, there’s another cut available that can easily be used instead. BeefItWhatsForDinner.com has hundreds of innovative beef recipes. 
  
• While the beef industry is doing everything possible to increase supply, the primary concern is ensuring the health and safety of those who produce, process and deliver beef, as well as the safety of beef. 
  
• America’s beef farmers and ranchers are committed to caring for their animals and families, the employees who process beef and consumers, just as we have for generations. We’re facing tough times, but we’re resilient and committed to working together to solve the new challenges we face when feeding American families.

Cooking with Beef at home