This year’s Independence Day cookouts are taking a record-breaking bite out of consumers’ wallets.
According to the American Farm Bureau Fourth of July market basket survey, which looks at the average cost of barbecue staples across the country, the average cost to feed a group of 10 people is $71.22, which is 5 percent higher than last year and 30 percent more than the cost was five years ago.
Chicken and potato salad are the only two dishes that saw a decrease in price.
The survey pulls prices for a complete, homemade cookout consisting of cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, potato chips, pork and beans, fresh strawberries, homemade potato salad, fresh-squeezed lemonade, chocolate chip cookies and ice cream. […] Nationally, this means we are surpassing $7 per person for the first time, with the total meal coming to $7.12 a person. [...]
The increases in the cost of our cookout items reflect a number of broader economic factors. General inflation has been highly disruptive to the whole economy, leaving behind many whose incomes haven’t kept pace. Rising supply costs and global uncertainties have created new challenges for farmers and everyone in the food supply chain. While food price increases slowed in 2023 after skyrocketing in 2022, the our cookout cost has increased 30% in just five years. Consumers nationwide still view inflation and high food prices as ongoing problems. When adjusted for inflation, our survey total is 5% lower than the previous record year of 2022; but inflation reduces the purchasing power of your dollar over time, making it a problem for consumers and producers alike. (American Farm Bureau Federation)
A quick reminder that Joe Biden has made this year's 4th of July celebrations the most expensive in history.
— Rep. Diana Harshbarger (@RepHarshbarger) July 1, 2024
The costs of basic ingredients to a great 4th of July cookout reached a record high thanks to #Bidenomics pic.twitter.com/XDIiwB5ycs
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