Ground meat 775 lira, chops 1,490 lira at Ankara market; chicken shelves emptied within minutes

In an on-site observation conducted by Sözcü Gazetesi reporter Erdoğan Süzer at a gross market in Ankara over the weekend, the price gap between red meat and poultry emerged strikingly: ground meat's "discounted" kilogram price was 775 lira, bone-in neck 850 lira, chops 1,490 lira, and mid-range cubed meat sold for over 1,000 lira, while whole chicken was 99 lira, chicken fillet 160 lira, and baguette 140 lira.

While poultry sections emptied in a short time, the massive 8-10 meter red meat counters remained virtually untouched. Ground meat at 100 grams—a price that cannot even buy a bus ticket between Şişli and Kadıköy in Istanbul—exemplifies the public's disconnection from red meat.

According to Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) data, red meat prices had shown an increase of over 70 percent in the same period last year. The market's red meat section had displayed similar scenes in the same season last year as well; only the ceiling prices have roughly doubled since that time.