Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 1/9/15


Worldwide, the cost of putting meat on the table jumped 8.1 percent in 2014, compared with the same measure for the year 2013, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization reported.

The FAO Meat Price Index dropped 1.9 percent in December from its level in November, “reflecting weaker quotations for bovine and ovine meat from Oceania and lower [pork] prices from Europe. The stronger U.S. dollar and a growth in export availability were among the main factors influencing prices,” the agency said in an analysis posted on its website.

Meat products were the only commodity group within the FAO Food Price Index to register an increase. The categories registering the sharpest decrease included cereals (12.5 percent), dairy products (7.7 percent), oils (6.2 percent) and sugar (3.8 percent).

Over the full year, the FAO index overall was down 3.7 percent last year from 2013.

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