Radio | News week in plain Finnish | Saturday 10.5.2025

Minced meat shortage

Minced meat shortage

This week’s news topic is the minced meat shortage.

Ground meat is used in many dishes. It is an important raw material for households.

There has been a shortage of ground meat in stores.

The shortage of ground beef could continue for many months.

We will now tell you more about the minced meat shortage and its causes.

Shops

Demand for ground beef has increased this year.

Many people have noticed in the store that there are only a few packages of minced meat on the shelf or that they are out of stock.

The shortage of ground beef has increased the demand for other ground meats, such as chicken and pork.

That’s why they have also become scarce.

Decline in cows

The reason for the shortage of minced meat is the decline in the number of cows.

The Finnish Agricultural and Forestry Producers’ Association (MTK) says that the number of cows has been decreasing for a long time.

Cows have been bred and their milk production has increased significantly.

One cow now produces about twice as much milk as before. That’s why there are fewer cows on farms than before.

Because the number of cows has decreased, fewer of them are coming to meat companies than before.

Profitability

Another reason for the decline in cows is poor profitability.

In addition to dairy cows, farms also have beef cows, or cows that are raised for meat.

MTK says that keeping beef cattle has been unprofitable for many years.

MTK says that the producer price for beef cattle in Finland is lower than in many other European countries.

The price of beef has been rising elsewhere in Europe for over a year, but in Finland the price has remained fairly stable.

Households and lunch restaurants

The shortage of minced meat is hurting households because minced meat is a common ingredient in many dishes.

The shortage of ground beef also affects, for example, hamburger restaurants and lunch restaurants.

The shortage of ground beef may continue for a long time.

Beef production cannot be increased quickly.

A cow has one calf per year, which is why it is not possible to breed more cows quickly.

There is also a shortage of minced meat in other European countries, as the number of cows is decreasing and the demand for minced meat is increasing.

Repetition

The topic of the week was the shortage of minced meat. Let’s recap the most important things.

Demand for ground beef has increased and there is a shortage of it in stores.

The shortage of ground beef also causes a shortage of other ground meats.

The reason for this situation is the decline in the number of cows and the increase in demand for minced meat.

The shortage of ground beef may not be quickly alleviated because the number of cows cannot be increased quickly.

This was a news week in plain Finnish. See you again, let’s hear from you!