Meat-free Mondays are extending to more days of the week as rising food prices are changing where Americans get their protein, with many cutting back on beef, shrinking portions, or turning to eggs, beans, and lentils.
Protein Portions on American Plates Are Shrinking
Protein portions on American plates are shrinking as rising grocery prices force households to rethink how they buy and serve meat, seafood and dairy.
A new survey of 3,042 U.S. adults, commissioned by financial media company MarketBeat, found that 62% have cut back on the quantity or type of protein they buy because of rising prices.
Beef is taking the biggest hit, with 43% of respondents saying they have cut back on it, far more than those reducing fish or seafood (10%), chicken or turkey (8%), and pork (7%).
Nearly half (47%) said they had replaced beef with vegetarian protein sources such as beans or lentils because of rising prices.
The shift is also showing up at the dinner table. More than half of households (51%) now serve a meal without meat or fish at least twice a week specifically to save money. For 10%, that happens every day, while another 13% serve meat-free or fish-free meals four to six times a week.
Matt Paulson, founder of MarketBeat, says, “For many families, a meat-free meal is less about preference and more about making the grocery budget stretch.”
American Shoppers Turn to Cheaper Protein Alternatives
For some households, however, the squeeze is more personal. More than half of respondents (58%) said they had eaten a smaller portion or skipped a protein-rich food so their children or another household member could have more.
The survey also found that shoppers are increasingly turning to cheaper protein alternatives. Eggs were the most common budget fallback, selected by 24% of respondents, followed by processed meats such as hot dogs or deli meat at 13% and beans at 12%. Canned tuna or other canned fish accounted for 9%, while peanut butter was chosen by 8%.
For shoppers, supermarket specials are increasingly dictating what lands on the dinner table. Seven in 10 (70%) said they now decide which protein to buy mainly according to what is discounted that week.
That reliance on promotions reflects a broader change in household food choices. Rather than planning meals around preferred cuts of meat or particular dishes, families are increasingly adapting their menus to whatever protein is affordable.
The survey found that 67% of respondents now see animal protein as more of a luxury than a basic grocery item. Nearly one-third (32%) also said disagreements over grocery spending had increased within their household because of the cost of meat, fish, eggs and dairy.
The findings point to a protein squeeze that goes beyond consumers simply trading premium brands for cheaper ones.
Families are buying less beef, serving smaller portions, adding more meat-free meals and turning to eggs, beans, lentils and other alternatives to make their grocery budgets go further, as the traditional meat-and-two-veg dinner may increasingly give way to meals determined by price rather than preference.
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