When Steak Becomes a Luxury, Liver Offers a Solution–at Least for RFK Jr.

Red meat prices in the U.S. have reached record highs, with the average cost of ground beef rising from $5.54 to $6.75 per pound between January 2025 and January 2026. In response, RFK Jr. suggested consumers consider more affordable options like liver and other organ meats, which are less demanded domestically but popular abroad. The overall inflation situation has contributed to rising wholesale prices, with higher retailer and wholesaler margins passing costs to consumers, while energy prices have declined and consumer inflation remains around 2.4%.

The cost of red meat in the United States has reached unprecedented levels. Between January 2025 and January 2026, the average price of ground beef rose from $5.54 to $6.75 per pound, the highest on record. The increase directly contradicts Donald Trump’s claim–made during his State of the Union address–that beef prices have dropped.

In response, Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested cheaper alternatives for consumers: “If you buy, you know, a porterhouse steak, it’s going to, it is going to take you back. You can buy liver or the cheaper cuts, of steak that are very, very affordable.” Kennedy made these remarks at an event organized by MAHA Action, the committee supporting the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.

According to the updated Dietary Guidelines released earlier this year, proteins from red meat remain at the top of the food pyramid alongside fruits and vegetables. However, liver and other organs such as tongue, heart, kidney, or stomach are not widely demanded in the domestic market: the Beef Checkoff 2022 marketing and research program reports that most of the demand for these portions comes from abroad.

Inflation and Wholesale Prices

The rising cost of meat occurs within a broader context of widespread inflation. The U.S. Department of Labor reported on Friday a 0.5% increase in the Producer Price Index (PPI) from December and a 2.9% rise compared with January 2025, exceeding economists’ expectations.

Core prices recorded a 0.8% monthly increase and a 3.6% annual rise, the highest since March 2025. The main driver of the increase was higher margins for retailers and wholesalers, suggesting that part of the costs from tariffs imposed by the Republican administration has been passed on to consumers.

At the same time, energy prices fell: gasoline dropped 5.5% from December and 15.7% from the previous year, while wholesale food costs saw a slight decline. Consumer inflation, according to the latest Department of Labor report, remained at 2.4% year-over-year, approaching the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.

Impact of Tariffs and Fed Outlook

Trump recently approved the entry of an additional 80.000 tons of Argentine beef, a measure strongly opposed by ranchers and legislators. Economists closely monitor wholesale prices because they anticipate the future trajectory of consumer inflation, particularly in the healthcare and financial services sectors, which feed into the PCE index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred indicator.

When Steak Becomes a Luxury, Liver Offers a Solution–at Least for RFK Jr.

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