BURGER REPORT FRESHMATTERS Fresh ground-beef popularity keeps the burger segment cooking BY J O E L C R E WS | J CRE WS@ SOSL A N D.CO M D espite high beef prices that are causing many consumers at retail and foodservice to trade down from steak to more moderately priced poultry, the demand for high-quality hamburgers is alive and well. Yes, ground-beef prices are high in the meat case and hamburgers are no longer the cheapest items on most menus; and consumers are gravitating away from venues that don't make it clear their patties are made fresh, never-frozen and are sourced responsibly. Trendy burger-based chains like Twisted Root, Burger Lounge, Burger 21 and Hopdoddy Burger Bar have entered the fray with well-established and global chains like Five Guys Burgers and Fries and Smashburger. To quantify the sustained demand, Chicago-based The NPD Group reports there were 9 billion servings of hamburgers ordered in US restaurants and foodservice outlets in 2014, a 3 percent increase compared to the previous year. Corresponding with the servings ordered at restaurants is the volume of ground-beef shipments to restaurant and foodservice outlets. Bulk ground-beef shipments to total foodservice outlets increased by 2 percent, according to NPD's SupplyTrack service, which tracks products shipped from broadline distributors to foodservice operators. The demand for hamburgers hasn't been channel-specific although the fast-casual chains have hogged the spotlight as of late. Photo courtesy of Heart Attack Grill 26 MEAT+ POULTRY | 04.15 | www.meatpoultry.comhttp://www.meatpoultry.com