Here's How Expensive Your July 4th Cookout Could Be This Year

It's no surprise that July 4^th cookouts will cost more this year, but how much additionally can you expect to fork out for your hot dogs, buns, salads, and patriotic desserts?

Rising food costs is an issue that Americans have been dealing with for months. For the year ending April 2022, prices for food at home went up 10.8%, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. What this number tells us, according to the Official Data Foundation, is that there is a significant amount of inflation affecting America's food costs. In 2021, food that cost a shopper $20 would cost $21.30 in 2022, according to the foundation's math.

American Farm Bureau Federation Chief Economist Roger Cryan blames the increased costs on supply chain issues, inflation, and the conflict in Ukraine. This is because the conflict is causing Ukrainian crops to not be exporting. The conflict is also negatively affecting Russian and Belarusian fertilizer exports are constrained. 

A recent survey by Numerator found that 53% of consumers anticipate that inflation will affect their July 4^th plans and 39% of respondents said that they plan to buy fewer items for the holiday than in previous years.

The cost for a 4^th of July cookout that includes cheeseburgers, pork chops, chicken breasts, homemade potato salad, strawberries, and ice cream for 10 people will be about $69.68 (or less than $7 per person), according to the 2022 American Farm Bureau Federation Marketbasket Survey. Most of the food items included in the survey (chicken breasts, homemade potato salad, hamburger buns, cookies, and more) increased in price during 2022. The survey showed that the retail price for 2 pounds of ground beef is $11.12; an increase of 36% compared to 2021, according to the Farm Bureau.

There were a few items that declined in price, including strawberries, which dipped by 86 cents compared to 2021, per the survey. Additionally, the Farm Bureau reports that sliced cheese and potato chips also declined in price by 48 cents and 22 cents respectively. Two ways that Americans plan to save on their 4^th of July celebrations are by utilizing coupons and buying sale items (via Numerator). The survey found that 62% of people will buy items on sale, while 36% plan on using coupons for their purchases.

While Americans may need to be more cognizant of what food items that they put on their July 4^th menus, there is no reason to let food costs wreck the sparkle in holiday plans.