Red meat consumption in Argentina has fallen to its lowest level in two decades, driven by soaring prices and economic austerity measures under President Javier Milei. Annual per capita beef consumption dropped to 44.5 kilograms in April 2026, down from 49.5 kilograms a year earlier, according to the Agricultural Foundation for Argentina’s Development. In 2006, consumption stood at 63.4 kilograms per person.
Butcher shop owner Jorge García, 73, in Buenos Aires’ Mataderos neighbourhood, said customers are switching to cheaper proteins like pork and chicken. “People are eating pork, they’re eating chicken,” he noted. Meat distributor Juampi Quintero, 25, estimated consumption among his clients has fallen by more than half, as “beef moved into a completely different purchasing-power category.”
Analysts attribute the decline to lower cattle supply, weakened household purchasing power, and the opening of Argentina’s beef market to international trade, which has pushed domestic prices closer to global levels. Beef prices rose over 60% in the past year, reaching an average of 18,500 pesos ($13) per kilogram in Buenos Aires in May, according to the Argentine Beef Promotion Institute.
President Milei, who took office in December 2023 with annual inflation at 211%, implemented austerity measures including cuts to public spending, elimination of 13 ministries, and layoffs of about 30,000 public employees. Economist Camilo Tiscornia said reduced subsidies for basic services have hit household incomes, forcing families to give up expensive goods like beef. Wages for registered workers rose only 1.8% in February, below monthly inflation of 2.9%.
Retiree Alberto Brajin, 61, who runs a barbecue stall, said he now has to “trade down” to cheaper proteins such as chicken. Meanwhile, beef exports rose 54% in the first quarter of 2026, totalling nearly 200,000 tons worth over $1 billion, following a U.S. decision to expand Argentina’s tariff-free beef quota. Agricultural consultant Iván Ordóñez noted that previously, all meats had similar prices, which encouraged high beef consumption that did not reflect real production costs.
