The Daily Citizen doesn’t want to rain on your Independence Day celebration, but the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) marketbasket survey reports that the overall cost for a cookout for 10 people “is up 17% or about $10 from last year.”
The AFBF said the rising costs are “a result of ongoing supply chain disruptions, inflation and the war in Ukraine.”
In a news release, the federation stated:
U.S. consumers will pay $69.68 for their favorite Independence Day cookout foods, including cheeseburgers, pork chops, chicken breasts, homemade potato salad, strawberries and ice cream.
The AFBF says that’s a cookout for 10 people, coming in at a little under $7.00 a person.
Though this writer doesn’t think that 2 pints of strawberries, a half-gallon of ice cream and one bag of chips would really work for that number of folks. Not in our household anyway, with several young men to feed.
The report said the largest increase was for ground beef, “Survey results showed the retail price for 2 pounds of ground beef at $11.12, up 36% from last year.”
Perhaps more families will opt for hot dogs or chicken this year, instead of burgers.
While almost all prices increased, the AFBF said:
One bright spot for consumers is the average retail price for strawberries, which declined by 86 cents compared to a year ago. Sliced cheese and potato chips also dropped in price, 48 cents and 22 cents, respectively.
The bureau suggested those decreases were due to “better weather conditions in some fruit-growing regions and greater retailer pricing flexibility for processed products.”
Roger Cryan, chief economist for the AFBF, said that despite the higher prices, farmers still aren’t earning enough to cover costs, saying, “The cost of fuel is up and fertilizer prices have tripled.
He added, “The farmers’ share of the retail food dollar is as low as 2% to 4% for highly processed foods such as bread and cereal, and can be 35% or more for some fresh products.”
The economist linked price increases to the Russian invasion, as the federation reported:
Cryan also pointed to the cascading effects of the war in Ukraine, as that country’s contributions to global food security are cut off, Russian and Belarusian fertilizer exports are constrained, and some other countries pull back exports to protect their domestic supplies.
The marketbasket survey also gave a three-year comparison of costs for an Independence Day celebration:
Last year, the White House touted the 16-cent drop in prices from 2020 on Twitter, as National Review reported:
Some might remember a much-derided White House tweet from 2021, boasting that Americans would save a whopping 16 cents on their families’ Fourth of July cookouts compared with 2020.
Planning a cookout this year? Ketchup on the news. According to the Farm Bureau, the cost of a 4th of July BBQ is down from last year. It’s a fact you must-hear(d). Hot dog, the Biden economic plan is working. And that’s something we can all relish. pic.twitter.com/7h9qLauIbC
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 1, 2021
The 2021 tweet only listed the prices that dropped, not ones that increased. Consumers have been quick to point out that the administration isn’t highlighting this year’s marketbasket survey, and social media has been flooded with comments, mocking last year’s tweet and highlighting this year’s hefty price increase.
Despite the cost, the Daily Citizen hopes your family will still celebrate Independence Day, showing gratitude for our country and its founding.
We acknowledge that our country has serious issues to face – including rising inflation, and this year, many of us will be watching our budgets and tightening our belts. But we can still celebrate and be thankful.
Focus on the Family President Jim Daly put it this way, “America is an exceptional nation. July Fourth is a day to celebrate – and give thinks to God for our nation’s rich heritage.”
Related articles:
Even More Proud to Be an American this Independence Day Now that ‘Roe’ is Gone
Inflation Rate Hits Four-Decade High of 8.5%, Harming Poor and Middle-Class Families the Most
Inflation Unexpectedly Accelerates to 8.6% in May Leaving Families to Pay the Price
July 4th – We Don’t Need Big Government. America Needs a ‘Ruler, Guardian, Guide and Stay’
The post Independence Day Barbecue Cost – 17% Increase From Last Year appeared first on Daily Citizen.
Daily Citizen