Skyrocketing beef prices finally have Americans reaching their spending limit

Aaron Kaufman used to meet his lofty daily protein goals — a gram for each pound he weighs — with ground beef.

Then in the spring the 32-year-old moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan.

To offset the higher cost of rent, he has been spending more on groceries instead of eating out.

But on his first visit to the local grocery store, he saw that ground beef was $8 a pound, compared with $6 in Brooklyn.

He decided to switch proteins, leaning largely on cheaper options such as chicken.

He still prefers the taste of ground beef.

“Every once in a while, I’ll treat myself if it’s on sale,” Kaufman said.

He’s not alone.

After absorbing nearly two years of surging beef prices, Americans are finally showing signs that they have reached their limit.

That marks a notable turn for a market where a shrinking US cattle herd repeatedly pushed prices to records, yet consumers kept buying enough beef to support still-higher prices.

Read More: Record Beef Prices Spark Blame Game in Complex Cattle Economy Now, that resilience is beginning to crack — and at a time of year when demand should be strongest.

Beef sales volumes in the 13 weeks ending in mid-July, a crucial stretch encompassing both Memorial Day and July Fourth, fell 0.3% from a year earlier, according to research firm Circana.

In the same period in each of the previous two years, volumes grew about 5%.

Chicken , meanwhile, continues to see consumption rise, with ample supplies keeping prices under pressure.