Echoing the 1984 Wendy’s commercial.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where%27s_the_beef%3F

I used to have this beef stew fairly often, but it had fallen off my radar. Until I found an old 20 oz can in the back of a cupboard. It was darned good, so I bought two more cans last Saturday.

I opened one last Monday – what a disappointment! Only a few tiny pieces of beef and two carrot slices. It would be better described as beef-flavored potato stew. I fear that the second can, adjacent on the shelf will be the same.

That's a shame. Dinty Moore Beef Stew used to be a pretty substantial meal. I used to love it.

Like trying to find the bacon in cans of bbq beans.

Been a long time since I had Dinty Moore...

Now prefer Progresso, they have some of the best canned soups made, JMO.

https://www.progresso.com/products/?Soups=All_Soups

It may simply be Dinty Moore cutting corners in general, or it may be a direct side effect of the current situation.

The meat industry was hit very hard by the pandemic shutdowns. Many of the largest meatpacking plants shut down or cut back for a long period, which caused a glut of "on the hoof" supply, which tanked prices. These tanked prices resulted in a number of ranchers simply giving away or euthanizing a large portion of their stock, since it was costing them more to feed them than they were able to get for the meat. This then tanked supply even once the plants reopened, which drove processed meat prices up pretty high.

To make it worse, even now a number of plants are only running at partial capacity, due to worker quarantines, lack of workers due to furloughed workers who found better jobs while off from the plant and never returned, etc. Plus the processed meat demand equation has shifted as well, with fewer restaurants ordering meat, but more home cooks buying meat, which made the preexisting supply calculations even wonkier, which takes time for the meat suppliers to analyze and incorporate into future production.

So all of those complication very well may have meant that Dinty Moore could have been forced to cut back on the amount of meat they were using in their product, due to the lower meat supply and increased meat cost resulting from the pandemic.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Been a long time since I had Dinty Moore...

Now prefer Progresso, they have some of the best canned soups made, JMO.
<snip>

That looked like a good steer, but the site says: “Enjoy a hearty pot roast as a delicious soup”. I want stew rather than soup. Thanks anyway.

quote:

That looked like a good steer, but the site says: “Enjoy a hearty pot roast as a delicious soup”. I want stew rather than soup. Thanks anyway.

get a can of Dinty Moore meatless Stew and Progresso Pot Roast, combine so you have a meaty
stew result LOL

Just last month I re-up'd on Hormel turkey Chili which was reasonable in the past for a quick bowl. They too might be corner cutting because all 3 cans were like chili mush and hardly any noticeable turkey chunks like in the pre-pandemic stock. It was never the best choice, but did have noticeable turkey and was edible.

In the past I have purchased Progresso soups, they were all pretty good, may have to try them again as the soup bug just in the last couple of days have me thinking in that direction. Even thought about giving a good chili recipe a try again myself, I'm definitely a chili hound to the end.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:

I opened one last Monday – what a disappointment! Only a few tiny pieces of beef and two carrot slices. It would be better described as beef-flavored potato stew. I fear that the second can, adjacent on the shelf will be the same.

I had a can of DM Beef Stew over the weekend and I was thinking the same thing. Looking at the "beef" which resembled crumbly hamburger, I thought to myself; what happened to the chunks of beef they used to have? The flavor wasn't what I remembered it to be either.

The gross amount of Sodium absorbed the beef.

So it's now Chintzy Dintzy Less canned stew?

Dingy used to be good in a pinch but can bought maybe beginning of last winter was meat free! Nothing to do with current times

BTW – Here’s that Wendy’s “Where’s the beef” commercial. 30 seconds. Makes me smile.

https://youtu.be/Ug75diEyiA0

I had recently picked up 2 cans. Had one and... kinda wanted to take the other can back. It had just enough meat in it, but I dunno, there was a certain richness missing from it that I remembered.

Today I just made a huge batch of my own beef stew. Getting ready to freeze and seal a bunch of it.

Stew cooks easy and freezes well, in case you are inclined to make your own.

quote:

Now prefer Progresso, they have some of the best canned soups made, JMO.

Only if you get it on sale. Half of a can is water.

While it isn't saying much, Dinty Moore is - or was - one of the best of the canned beef stews. Lately I've been getting a brand called Hargis House at the local discount grocer. The large can is less than $2. Cheap and makes a turd.

Lived on DM during my college years in 71.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
BTW – Here’s that Wendy’s “Where’s the beef” commercial. 30 seconds. Makes me smile.

Clara Pella, the little old lady in the classic Wendy's commercial made only two commercials for Wendy's. She became a legend with that commercial. It is timeless.

I've used, "I don't think anybody's back there", numerous times over the years.

quote:

what a disappointment! Only a few tiny pieces of beef and two carrot slices. It would be better described as beef-flavored potato stew.

I get a can of Beef Stew about once or twice a year. I had a can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew last Feb it was about the same thing.

Against my better judgement, I picked up a couple of cans of DM. (My usual discount grocer was closed.) Yep, exactly as the OP described. In the 20-oz. (medium sized) can there were three tiny slivers of meat. I suppose if there's as little as one piece they can call it "beef" stew.