Argentines, famed for steakhouses, sprawling cattle ranches and asado barbecues, are consuming less beef than ever, forced to tighten their belts by triple-digit inflation and a recession. - REUTERS
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00:00At this butcher shop in Buenos Aires, workers slice a cut of beef, something that's becoming
00:06increasingly rare.
00:08In beef-loving Argentina, people are eating less beef than ever.
00:13Consumption is down almost 16 percent this year so far.
00:16Triple-digit inflation and a recession are forcing Argentines to tighten their belts.
00:22Data show they are eating around 97 pounds of beef a year.
00:26That's down from the more than 114 pounds last year, and over 220 pounds people ate
00:32in the 1950s.
00:35Butcher shop owner Gerardo Thompson has noticed the shift.
00:39GERARDO THOMPSON, Butcher Shop Owner Through Translation, Argentina People keep coming.
00:41The issue is that they consume less.
00:43There are people who turn to other products.
00:45It is a permanent search for prices.
00:47People look for what's more convenient and best for their pockets.
00:54Argentines are facing tough austerity measures from Libertarian President Javier Mille.
00:59The economy is stalled, and inflation has skyrocketed nearly 300 percent.
01:05Beyond the butcher shop, families are also reducing consumption of staples like milk
01:09and vegetables.
01:10Poverty is up.
01:11More people are homeless in major cities, and lines have grown at soup kitchens.
01:17There has also been a longer-term shift towards other meats like pork and chicken or cheaper
01:21staples like pasta.
01:23Miguel Schiarretti, president of the local meat chamber, says it all comes down to price.
01:28MIGUEL SCHIARRETTI, President of the Local Meat Chamber, Argentina Today, you can buy
01:31a full chicken for 2,000 pesos or 2,100 pesos per kilo.
01:36Pork can be bought between 3,000 and 4,000 pesos per kilo.
01:40The cheapest beef cut is around 5,000 or 5,500 pesos per kilo.
01:45People decide depending on their purchasing power, and their purchasing power is weakening
01:49month by month.
01:52Still, some, like retiree Claudia San Martin, refuse to give up going to the butcher.
02:00Argentines can eliminate anything, I believe, in difficult times like this, but we can't
02:05do without meat.
02:07Meat is an integral part of the Argentine diet.
02:10It is as if pasta were eliminated for Italians.