Prairie State Wire

The Windy City is suffering a meat shortage and Chicagoans are feeling it at the grocery store and in their pockets. 

Because of the shortage, the price of meat is going up and many shelves are bare, according to the Chicago Tribune. To address shortages many stores, like Mariano’s, are adopting policies that limit the number of meat products a customer may purchase. Mariano’s is letting shoppers take home one fresh pork product, while grocery chain Costco is restricting customers to three products of beef, pork and/or poultry. 

At the same time, Pete’s Fresh Market is restricting the amount of meat that it will sell at a discounted price. Gepperth’s Meat Market, located in Lincoln Park, hasn’t followed the trend yet, but that could change in the near future. The market’s owner Otto Demke, said he’s had trouble getting pork shoulder for three days.

He told the Tribune, “A nice steak? Some lamb racks? Those things are going to be pretty scarce.”

Jewel-Osco, which touts the biggest supermarket chain in Chicago and surrounding areas, hasn’t started limiting meat yet but is taking a look at the numbers regularly for any needed changes.

Paulina Market owner Bill Begale said the Lakeview butcher is boosting the price for boneless chuck steak by $3 to $4 a pound, but that still hasn’t helped revenue. 

“Our ground beef was $6.95 and now it’s $9.95, and we’re still not making a ton of money," he told the Tribune. "It’s going up and up and up.”

Beef production is said to have taken a 25% hit across the board. Even fast-food chains like Wendy’s have suffered an impact, though McDonald’s said it hasn’t felt the sting yet.