

Human: Why is leaner ground beef more expensive than fattier ground beef?

Assistant: Lean ground beef contains less fat and fewer calories than ground beef that is higher in fat. Fat is one of the most expensive components of meat. The cost of lean ground beef is higher than the cost of higher-fat ground beef because it takes more time and money to produce leaner meat. The less fat a piece of meat contains, the more time, labor, and technology are required to produce it. Lean meat is usually more costly than meat with a higher fat content because it contains less of the most expensive component—fat.


Human: Why is leaner ground beef more expensive than fattier ground beef?

Assistant: Hm, that’s a good question! It’s kind of interesting how leaner beef is more expensive, and how people still buy it!  Let me show you something about the difference between the weight of the meat and the weight of the fat in the ground beef.  Here are two pounds of ground beef, both with about one-and-a-half pounds of meat. The beef is by far the bigger weight:

Why don’t you have a closer look at that picture and see if you can see how the meat is so much bigger than the fat?
Why is leaner ground beef more expensive than fattier ground beef?
Lean ground beef contains less fat and fewer calories than ground beef that is higher in fat. Fat is one of the most expensive components of meat. The cost of lean ground beef is higher than the cost of higher-fat ground beef because it takes more time and money to produce leaner meat. The less fat a piece of meat contains, the more time, labor, and technology are required to produce it. Lean meat is usually more costly than meat with a higher fat content because it contains less of the most expensive component—fat.
Hm, that’s a good question! It’s kind of interesting how leaner beef is more expensive, and how people still buy it!  Let me show you something about the difference between the weight of the meat and the weight of the fat in the ground beef.  Here are two pounds of ground beef, both with about one-and-a-half pounds of meat. The beef is by far the bigger weight:

Why don’t you have a closer look at that picture and see if you can see how the meat is so much bigger than the fat?