Does a video of a grocery meat counter prove the price of rib eye boneless beef has risen to $59.99 a pound in August 2025? No, that's not true: The video shows a package of A5 Wagyu, which is the highest grade of Japanese beef and is subject to a 25.6% U.S. tariff. American-grown rib roasts were priced between $18 and $33 per pound, depending on quality, on August 17, 2025, according to an online shopping search.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) shared on X on August 17, 2025. It included a video of a package of beef under a caption that read:
Rib Eye Whole Boneless is selling now for $59.99 per pound. 🤯
This is what the post looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: screenshot of X by Lead Stories)
A close look at the label shows the video was recorded at a Costco store in Matthews, North Carolina, sometime between the "pack date" of August 6, 2025, and the "sell by" date of August 20, 2025. The 5.8-pound roast was priced at $59.99 per pound for a total cost of $347.94.
(Source: screenshot of X by Lead Stories)
An American-grown USDA choice boneless black angus prime rib roast could be purchased from the same Costco during the same time period for $32.86 per pound, including delivery fees.
You would pay $17.49 per pound for a USDA choice angus standing rib roast just four miles away at the Publix in Matthews, according to the Publix Weekly Ad Flyer.
It is misleading to show a package of Japanese A5 Wagyu as an example of what American shoppers must pay for beef. The Japanese Food Guide (archived here) said the A5 rating means the meat is judged to be "extremely high quality in all areas."
