In 2024, beef and veal prices rose 5.4 percent while fish and seafood prices actually fell 1.9 percent, according to the USDA. As of June, beef prices were running almost 12 percent higher than a year earlier. Seafood prices aren’t immune to inflation, and the USDA expects them to rise a bit faster than their long-term average this year. Fewer cattle means less beef, and demand hasn’t budged, so wholesale beef prices are sitting at record highs for this time of year. Today, most frozen seafood goes straight from freezer to oven, air fryer, or stovetop and hits the table in less than 20 minutes.