Rollins Tells Americans Facing High Beef Prices: ‘There Are Other Sources’ of Protein

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is urging Americans who are feeling the pinch of high beef prices to consider other proteins, a suggestion that quickly highlighted the political sensitivity of food inflation.

During an interview with right-wing political commentator Benny Johnson, Rollins was asked what the administration is doing about rising beef costs. According to The Independent, she replied: “We have more people eating beef than ever before, but if it is too expensive … you can eat chicken, pork, salmon, eggs. There are other sources of really good protein, and all of those prices are coming down as well.”

Her comments came as beef continues to weigh on grocery budgets. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show uncooked ground beef averaged $7.16 per pound in August, up from $6.63 a year earlier. For many households, the increase has made a staple product harder to afford and intensified scrutiny of the administration’s economic message.

Rollins, however, pointed to what she described as progress. “No. 1, beef is lower by 5 percent, so we are trending in the right direction,” she said in the same interview. She also blamed former President Joe Biden and Democrats for higher costs and for what she characterized as efforts to curb domestic beef production.

Rollins said beef demand has reached a record high even as supply remains tight. She also referenced a new food pyramid promoted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that places red meat at the top.

President Donald Trump has also said publicly that beef prices are too high. His administration has said it will allow 331,000 tons of duty-free ground beef imports into the United States for a 90-day period, with the meat intended to be sold below market rates.

Higher gas prices have added to the strain on household budgets. Rollins said the administration recognizes the cost-of-living problem, adding: “We’re doing everything we can to bring them [grocery prices] down.”

Rising beef costs are part of a broader squeeze on grocery bills. The trend reflects a mix of drought, inflation, shrinking cattle herds and climbing expenses that have left ranchers and shoppers facing uncertainty about what comes next.

• Beef prices have soared as drought and inflation squeeze ranchers and shoppers.
• The cost of beef remains uncertain as herds shrink and expenses climb.
• U.S. shoppers are swapping ground beef for turkey and freezing clearance meat for later.
• New research warns prices may not come down as climate pressures and demand tighten cattle supplies.
• Experts warn rising meat prices could put longer-term pressure on grocery bills beyond beef.

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