Latest news with #butchers
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Butchers warn meat prices to go up this winter
Making those warming winter comfort meals may be even harder this year, as cost-of-living continues to bite small businesses and Australians alike. General manager of Cannings Butchers Matt Oltoumis said it's likely meat prices will rise this year, with a number of factors are contributing to the rising cost. 'We're likely to see beef and lamb prices rise in 2025, mainly due to tighter supply, strong export demand and some processing bottlenecks,' he said. 'Pork and chicken should stay more stable.' Mr Oltoumis said this is due to a variety of reasons, which are constraining cost-effective supply. 'The cost of meat at your local butcher is driven by a combination of factors, everything from farm prices and export demand to rent, power bills, logistics, and wages,' he said. 'Fuel and inflation hit hard too for business owners. 'It's a complex supply chain, and as a retailer we wear a lot of that pressure while still trying to offer fair prices and keep creative with value-adding products that aren't in on our customers' usual menu.' Labor costs are hurting local butchers – but the quality delivered by skilled human input is also what keeps customers coming back despite economic conditions. 'The most expensive part of producing meat is labour. We need skilled farmhands and processors to ensure the quality of the meat we sell to our customers, as well as experienced butchers and retail staff,' Mr Oltoumis said. 'This expert human input is vital and obviously comes at a cost. Add to that the rising costs of compliance, logistics, and maintaining cold chains, and labour consistently tops the list.' However, the investment is paying off, as overall spending at butchers has grown 6 per cent, despite the average basket size dropping 41 per cent – $80 from April 2024 to $47 in April 2025, Tyro payment data shows. This comes as food prices rose 3.2 per cent over the 12 months to the March quarter, up from 3.0 per cent in the December quarter, ABS statistics show. Meat and seafood prices rose 4.3 per cent compared to 12 months ago, the largest annual increase since the December 2022 quarter. Mr Oltoumis revealed the most underrated cuts of meat for budget-conscious shoppers. 'Pork neck is hugely underrated. It's affordable, well-marbled and incredibly versatile. Perfect for slow roasts in winter, but also brilliant when minced for a rich, traditional bolognese or cut into chunks and grilled as skewers. It delivers tenderness, flavour, and value across a range of cooking styles,' he said. 'Chicken thighs, beef mince, pork shoulder (neck/scotch), and chuck roast are my go-to economical cuts. 'They're flavourful, versatile, and stretch across multiple meals – perfect for bolognese, curries, roasts or slow cooks. You get great value without compromising on quality, especially when it's all premium, free range produce. 'As the seasons change its entirely natural for us to crave 'winter comfort meals' and people start to cook a little different, they tend to want to make a meal that will feed them for a few days like a ragu for lasagne or slow cooked roast that you can use for a bunch of different other meals afterwards. 'People swing towards products that can be cooked slowly and open them up to a variety of recipes.' Tyro chief executive Jon Davey said small businesses like local butchers are showing great resilience despite economic pressures, as community and quality keeps them above water. 'Local Australian food retailers remain important for local economies,' he said. 'Small independent retailers continue to attract business through trust and personal connections, with nearly 68 per cent of customers visiting weekly.'
Khaleej Times
7 days ago
- General
- Khaleej Times
Eid Al Adha in UAE: 11 slaughterhouses ready for Qurbani sacrificing in Al Ain
Slaughterhouses in the city of Al Ain are fully ready for Eid Al Adha, when many Muslims sacrifice an animal to perform a ritual that has a deep religious significance. During Eid Al Adha, which will start either on June 6 or 7 depending on crescent Moon sighting, Muslims around the world perform the ritual of sacrificing a sheep, goat, cow, or camel—in commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God's command. In preparation for the expected rush during Eid, authorities in the Abu Dhabi city of Al Ain announced full readiness in the slaughterhouses, ensuring residents of high cleanliness and extreme safety measures in the facilities. Well trained personnel will work during Eid days in 11 slaughterhouses throughout Al Ain, the city's municipality said in a post on X. Numbers of butchers and workers have been increased to 451 to guarantee high quality and fast service amid the Eid rush. Authorities also clarified that they take proactive maintenance and regular follow-ups through regular field visits to the slaughterhouses. Intensive preventive and health measures are also put in place, including intensified sterilisation procedures to avoid any diseases from spreading. In Dubai, authorities assured the public that the abattoirs adhere to the highest public health standards and added that these measures are in place to provide the public with a high-quality service experience during Eid celebrations. For those opting for online sacrificing during Eid, some UAE grocery apps like Careem and Noon are offering a chance to pre-order an animal for sacrificing, with prices starting from Dh1,000.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Mystery Explained: Why Hot Dogs Come in 10-Packs but Buns in 8
Have you ever bought hot dogs and buns for a cookout, only to realize you're either two buns short or two wieners over? You'd think that, by now, the makers of America's favorite ballpark snack would have solved this weird puzzle. Think again. Now, this might sound like a silly conversation to have at a time when many folks are facing much more prescient problems. And you're right—but hear me out because sometimes solving little mysteries gives us the courage to solve the bigger ones. Baby steps. Come with me on this curious and historic journey to find out why we can't get our hot dog to bun ratio sorted. Before about 1940, hot dogs were bought and sold from local butcher shops and were not packaged as they are today. Shoppers would simply ask the butcher for the amount of sausages they needed and would be charged by the pound. This brings us up to modern day meat packaging, wherein meat is still typically sold by the pound. One standard American hot dog is approximately 1.6 ounces. If you do the math, that means that it takes 10 hotdogs to get you to one pound. It simply makes sense, from a meat-packing and butchering perspective, to sell them by the pound, not by the piece. Similarly, modern bakehouses are optimized for efficiency with standards and systems set firmly in place. Buns are typically baked in clusters of four in pans designed to produce eight rolls apiece. It simply doesn't make sense for most bakeries to completely upend their production systems and pan designs to accommodate the average number of hot dogs in a pack. The light at the end of the tunnel: In 2022, Heinz and Wonder Bread partnered to solve this very issue in Canada by brokering a partnership to create 10-packs of buns. Maybe a similar deal is on the horizon for the United States. In the meantime, though, we Americans will just have to find a use for those two extra sausages. My suggestion? Cut those suckers up and make a small batch of pigs in blankets for brunch the next day. Everybody wins! Read the original article on ALLRECIPES
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Mystery Explained: Why Hot Dogs Come in 10-Packs but Buns in 8
Have you ever bought hot dogs and buns for a cookout, only to realize you're either two buns short or two wieners over? You'd think that, by now, the makers of America's favorite ballpark snack would have solved this weird puzzle. Think again. Now, this might sound like a silly conversation to have at a time when many folks are facing much more prescient problems. And you're right—but hear me out because sometimes solving little mysteries gives us the courage to solve the bigger ones. Baby steps. Come with me on this curious and historic journey to find out why we can't get our hot dog to bun ratio sorted. Before about 1940, hot dogs were bought and sold from local butcher shops and were not packaged as they are today. Shoppers would simply ask the butcher for the amount of sausages they needed and would be charged by the pound. This brings us up to modern day meat packaging, wherein meat is still typically sold by the pound. One standard American hot dog is approximately 1.6 ounces. If you do the math, that means that it takes 10 hotdogs to get you to one pound. It simply makes sense, from a meat-packing and butchering perspective, to sell them by the pound, not by the piece. Similarly, modern bakehouses are optimized for efficiency with standards and systems set firmly in place. Buns are typically baked in clusters of four in pans designed to produce eight rolls apiece. It simply doesn't make sense for most bakeries to completely upend their production systems and pan designs to accommodate the average number of hot dogs in a pack. The light at the end of the tunnel: In 2022, Heinz and Wonder Bread partnered to solve this very issue in Canada by brokering a partnership to create 10-packs of buns. Maybe a similar deal is on the horizon for the United States. In the meantime, though, we Americans will just have to find a use for those two extra sausages. My suggestion? Cut those suckers up and make a small batch of pigs in blankets for brunch the next day. Everybody wins! Read the original article on ALLRECIPES
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Sunny spring drives retail spending in Great Britain to four-year high
Sunny spring weather sent shoppers flocking to supermarkets and specialists such as butchers, bakers and alcohol outlets last month, fuelling the strongest quarterly increase in retail sales in Great Britain in almost four years. Retail sales volumes soared 1.2% in April, well ahead of City economists' forecasts of an increase of between 0.2% and 0.4%, marking the fourth straight month of sales growth. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that over the three months to the end of April sales rose by 1.8%, compared with the November to January period, the largest quarterly rise since July 2021. The strong growth came despite the ONS revising down the 0.4% rise it had estimated in March to only 0.1%. 'Sunny skies and warm temperatures helped boost retail sales in April with strong trading across most sectors,' said Hannah Finselbach, a senior statistician at the ONS. 'After a poor couple of months, food sales bounced back with supermarkets reporting robust sales, while it was also a positive month for butchers and bakers, alcohol and tobacco stores.' The strongest growth was in food stores, with sales soaring 3.9% last month, mostly recovering the declines of February and March. Department stores registered a 2.8% increase in sales, while household goods stores rose 2.1%. However, in clothing, textile and footwear stores, which had experienced the strongest growth in March, sales fell by 1.8% last month. 'Other' non-food stores, such as sports and games retailers and secondhand shops, suffered the steepest decline at 3.1%. The UK enjoyed the sunniest and third warmest April on record, with just over half the normal rainfall, according to the Met Office. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Matt Dalton, the consumer sector leader at Forvis Mazars, said: 'While we remain optimistic, we believe that consumers may adopt a more cautious approach to spending in the months ahead. Inflation spiked in April, wage growth is slowing, and consumer confidence is falling. Overall, we expect sales to rise, albeit at a more moderate pace than in the first four months of the year.'
