WEST PALM BEACH, FL – Americans looking to celebrate the upcoming Fourth of July holiday with the traditional backyard cookout are facing a pricey undertaking this year thanks to skyrocketing inflation – which is currently at a 40-year high with no signs of slowing down. Inflation has driven up the prices of popular barbecue fare such as beef and chicken to well over 30 percent over what they were last year.
According to a survey from the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the price of ground beef for hamburgers has gone up 36 percent year-over-year, chicken breasts are up 33 percent, and pork chops 31 percent. And some of the fixings and sides are more expensive as well, with hamburger buns up 16 percent and potato salad up 19 percent. And even dessert is pricier, with ice cream costing 10 percent more as well as chocolate chip cookies 7 percent more.
In contrast, a 2021 July 4 cookout was approximately 1 percent cheaper than the year before.
Overall, Fourth of July revelers can expect to pay out approximately 17 percent more while grilling in backyards and parks in 2022, which the AFBF notes is the biggest year-over-year jump in pricing since they first began tracking such data ten years prior.
However, there are certain picnic items that are actually cheaper this year, including strawberries (16 percent less) sliced cheese (13 percent less) and potato chips (4 percent less).
The price jumps of common barbecue staples due to inflation can be attributed to multiple factors, including increasing fuel, labor, and farming costs, and an overall disruption of global supply chains due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Currently, according to surveys, the average American indicates that inflation is currently the number one issue affecting the country – with many blaming President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party – and will likely be a deciding factor leading into the 2022 midterm elections in November.
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