MULTIPLE data sets are now suggesting that beef demand is increasing, despite record high prices, with many attributing it to a renewed focus on health in several sections of the population.

The trend towards higher meat sales and greater trust in beef was a big talking point last week at the Cattle Connect conference in Dalby and the Young Beef Producers Forum in Roma.

It came up in discussions with Meat & Livestock Australia and in a panel session at YBPF, with former meat exporter and industry leader Richard Rains and sports dietician Peta Carige.

Ms Carige works in both private practice and for some of the country’s most notable sporting clubs – including the Brisbane Broncos, Penrith Panthers, Queensland Academy of Sport and the Australian Olympic team.

Beef Central went along to both events and has isolated five health-related trends that are driving people to beef.

Protein is having a moment

As Ms Carige told the Week in Beef podcast, the food industry is always marketing something – and at the moment that is protein.

“Protein as a nutrient is having its moment,” she said.

“Prior to protein, the selling tactic on labels was pre-biotics and pro-biotics. Before that it was gluten free and before that it was low sugar.”

Ms Carige said there was clearly a big health and fitness culture among younger people, which was naturally leading them to protein.

Many brands, such as yoghurts, breads, iced coffees and chocolates have all tried to capture the high protein trend. MLA managing director Michael Crowley recently told the Week in Beef that their marketing of protein was also bringing people to beef.

Women managing perimenopause

Alongside the health and fitness culture, Ms Carige said there was a big push for women to manage their health through the ‘perimenopause’ phase of their lives – which is the 10 years before they enter menopause.

A quick search for perimenopause online will find plenty of talk about managing some of the symptoms for perimenopause, such as brain fog and muscle loss.

Ms Carige said the two big recommendations for women to maintain a healthy weight in this period is to do resistance training and make changes to their diet – including prioritising protein.

Weightloss drugs

One of the biggest changes to the food system in the United States in recent years has been the adoption of weightloss drugs – such as Ozempic.

Stefan Vogel, Rabobank’s general manager for research for Australia and New Zealand, told Thursday’s Cattle Australia event in Dalby there was more and more use of weightloss drugs around the world, with a direct impact on dietary and consumption patterns.

“In the US, six percent of citizens are now actively using weightloss drugs,” he said.

Given that people use the drugs intermittently, the real number was probably closer to 12pc of the population, he suggested.

“In the US, it is very likely that weightloss drugs will become part of the Medicare system, which means users are not paying out of their own pocket of their doctor says they are too fat.”

“This trend is growing – and it’s not only growing in the US, it’s taking off in Australia and many other places.”

“And it flows on in other ways. It does not go very well if my wife is on a weightloss medication, and I am sitting there eating a great big burger. It’s the whole household that somehow needs to play ball – even if only one is using a weightloss drug.”

As a result of the Ozempic factor, US studies had shown the typical US grocery basket had shrunk by about 6pc.

“But the high protein stuff wins, while the high-sugar, high saly snacks are losing. What happens when a user gives themselves a shot? They are not only losing fat, but also losing muscle. The only thing that counters losing muscle is eating protein,” Mr Vogel said.

“What’s a good protein? Maybe our steaks could jump in there – but at this stage US studies show beef is also losing around 6pc per shopping visit (on par with everything else), so we are actually not gaining much, at this point.

“But the weight loss drug effect is coming, and it will have an impact across the world in terms of consumption habits.”

Focus on whole foods

Whole foods are another trend that are gaining traction in both the US and Australia.

Since the election of President Donald Trump and the appointment of US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, war has been declared on ultra-processed foods.

As Beef Central has previously reported, their Make America Healthy Again campaign has driven sales of products like tallow – by pushing consumers to move away from seed oils.

Scientists have also been warning about the unknown impacts of ultra-processed foods.

Ms Carige said dieticians and health professionals were encouraging whole foods, which was a benefit to the beef industry.

“Beef is a very healthy food to include in a diet as part of a whole food diet,” she said.

Social media validating opinions

Ms Carige said people in the beef industry should not be scared to use language that health professionals are using, like whole foods, when talking about their industry on social media.

She said young people are increasingly validating their information on social media – which she said was an opportunity for young people in the industry.

“Social media has put us in more silos, I don’t think country people have the same thing popping up on their Instagram as city people.

“It is an opportunity for you to show your world to other people. I think if someone is keen or passionate about educating people on a specific thing, they should really get involved with social media.

“Whenever I post something on social media from a farm, it always gets huge hits.”