Australia's largest supermarkets and fast food chains are refusing to stock US beef, even though a 20-year import ban has been lifted. They are choosing to support local producers and keep foreign meat off the shelves.
Major retailers are continuing long-standing relationships with Australian farmers and are not adopting newly approved imports of US beef. Despite the federal government's decision to re-open the market to American beef, the collective position of large chains is stopping US meat from entering the mainstream food supply.
After a decade-long biosecurity review, the government has approved US beef imports under strict conditions, ending restrictions in place for over 20 years. Although technically allowed since 2019, additional safeguards had delayed any presence of American beef in the market. However, major supermarket chains - which account for most of the country's beef sales - are maintaining their preference for locally sourced meat, limiting the chance of American products taking hold.
Woolworths, Coles and Aldi have all confirmed that fresh red meat in their stores comes only from Australian farmers. They have no plans to change their supply strategies. These supermarkets, along with others such as IGA, represent about 85% of total beef sales in Australia, effectively blocking US beef from reaching most consumers.
Fast food chains are taking the same approach. Australia's largest fast food user of beef continues to rely on 80 million kilograms of locally produced meat every year and has no intention to change its recipes. Even major Mexican fast food outlets have said that neither trade tensions nor economic agreements will influence their sourcing policies, which still focus on high-quality Australian ingredients.
While the federal policy change might ease some trade disputes between Australia and the United States - particularly those heightened during the Trump administration - local industry and consumer preferences remain unchanged. The lack of US beef in stores and restaurants reflects a strong stance in favour of local origin food, at least for the foreseeable future.
