Wendy’s Signals America’s Beef Crisis Is Over, at Least For Now

(Bloomberg) -- Where’s the beef? The mystery is over for now at Wendy’s, which can keep its commercial from the 1980s on the shelf as American meat supplies recover.

Shuttered cattle-slaughter plants due to Covid-19 disrupted the restaurant’s supply chain. That resulted in some menu items being in short supply and prompted the company to focus on chicken products instead.

But burgers are back after slaughterhouses boosted operations and workers returned to the job. That supply recovery has been reflected in the market: Wholesale beef prices have slumped from record levels, dropping 18 days in a row, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

“At this point in time, beef supply has returned to near-normal levels across the Wendy’s system,” the company said in a statement Monday.

Still, unions have warned that virus cases could keep spreading at meat plants where it’s hard to maintain social distancing -- that means analysts will keep watching for continued supply threats.

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