Latest news with #Arnold'sMeats
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How much does food for Easter cost locally?
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – On Monday, Chicopee residents headed to their favorite local stores to pick out everything they need to prepare the perfect meal for Easter Sunday. Even though some foods are a bit pricier this time of year, people seem to be less worried about what they're paying and more worried about if there's enough in stores to be able to make what they need. Gas prices in Springfield fall 4.4 cents, now averaging $2.90 per gallon 'Prime rib, lamb, ham, and tenderloin–those are the four major meats that people are buying when they come into Arnold's Meats,' said Larry Katz, owner of Arnold's Meats. Despite inflation, people are coming in to buy what they need for Easter brunch or just a night at home. The average price for a dozen eggs statewide is $5.04. Katz said that those who come in are not as vocal about grocery prices, but rather about other factors in their lives. 'Customers are really speaking out about everything, not just food,' Katz said. 'They're speaking out about the prices of automobiles, and everything else that's going up. As far as our products, pork prices have actually dropped. Hams have stayed the same, and boneless prime rib is up a bit.' The average American who chooses to go out to brunch on Easter could spend anywhere between $30 to $100 per person. Cooking at home, while messier, is cheaper. Walmart is currently selling a family Easter meal that runs approximately $35. Some grocery chains around the region only allow for shoppers to buy one dozen eggs per shopping trip, but at Arnold's, that's not the case. 'Egg prices are dropping,' Katz said. 'People can buy as much as they want. We do sell to a lot of restaurants and schools, so people can buy as many as they want, we have plenty of eggs.' Arnold's Meats is open every day this week, except Easter itself. Locals said it's become a staple for last-minute shopping. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why prices of beef and meat products are skyrocketing
SOUTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – The recent bird flu outbreak has caused a sharp increase in egg prices, and the same trend is now seemingly happening with beef and meat products. Unlike with eggs, this latest supply shortage isn't caused by an illness. Rather, cattle ranchers blame the high costs of supplies for keeping herds fed and transporting cattle from the west to east coast. More potholes showing up across western Massachusetts Cattle ranchers across the nation have been facing a supply and demand struggle, driving beef prices up. This can be attributed to a variety of factors, like rising interest rates, high grain prices, and shrinking U.S. cattle inventory. U.S. cattle herds shrunk one percent in January, hitting a 64-year low. The co-owner at Gwydyr Farm in Southampton, Steven Cowley, said the herd shortages are sending the price of cattle upward. 'A lot of it is because farmers like physically can't produce more animals and they would rather slaughter them now than be able to breed them back,' Cowley said. As a result, beef prices are now selling for 43 percent more than five years ago at $5.55 a pound. The owner of Arnold's Meats, Larry Katz said they're seeing this spike. 'We do a lot with restaurants, colleges, prep schools, caterers,' Katz said. 'And, you know, they can't keep going up every week on their prices because customers won't come.' But all aspects of the beef chain are getting more expensive. The cost of the materials used to package meat for sale to consumers has also gone up. 'It's by far the single biggest expense. Probably a third of the price that our customers pay is just the processing thing, which is at the very end,' Cowley said. Experts say it could take years until herds nationwide are able to grow and adequately meet demand. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
