America's Independence Day, July 4, is regarded as the number one grilling holiday in the United States and this year Aussie lamb will hit American hotplates in record numbers.
The US has become Australia's most valuable overseas market for lamb, with exports increasing sharply over the last two years to be worth $988 million in 2021.
The US took 30,568 tonnes of lamb in the year to date - a 13 per cent increase year-on-year.
Meat and Livestock Australia regional manager for North America Doug McNicholl said American consumers experimented with different proteins during the COVID period to break the monotony of lockdowns with lamb consumption lifting during that period.
He said that the demand comes from ethnically diverse, affluent consumers in places like New York City, San Francisco, Washington DC, Boston, Miami, and Chicago.
According to Simon Quilty, meat analyst Simon Quilty said the rise of lamb in the US had been remarkable and that lamb was the new Wagyu Not because of taste reasons, but because it is beginning to sit in that niche end of the market and is somewhat resistant to fluctuations as commodities go up and down.
Approximately 188 million Americans plan to grill or barbecue over the July 4 holiday period, according to the research firm Numerator.
Frank Tarantino, the president of Thomas Foods USA, said he expects Aussie lamb to feature heavily at family barbecues this week.
Australian lamb had been available for a long time in most fine dining restaurants in the U.S., but during the epidemic Americans soon found out that grilling Aussie lamb chops at home is not that intimidating, he said.
Aussie lamb chops and ground lamb for burgers have come in strong for the 4th of July, proving that Aussie lamb is here to stay on grills across America. Australian lamb showed the largest growth of all meat proteins sold at US supermarkets during the pandemic, according to Tarantino.
She said that Australian producers are well positioned to supply strong global demand for our product, as the industry sees American millennials and home chefs embrace Aussie lamb and have an interest in the paddock to plate story.