Summer cookout prices are at an all-time high

by | Jun 26, 2024 | 5 Ag Stories, News

It’s a common complaint we are hearing during this time of economic hardship; grocery prices are way too high. It wasn’t that long ago when $100 bought you a fully loaded cart, now it buys you three or four bags full if you are lucky. This has negatively affected things like eating out and purchasing high-end meats, dairy, and produce. People are cutting way back on frivolities that aren’t essential to everyday living.

However, if you are planning to have a BBQ, special meal, or family gathering, and you plan to enjoy that outdoor cookout, you had better be ready for the sticker shock that will come along with that. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has just released its estimate for the cost of your standard outdoor cookout. It may make you think about changing your plans to a potluck.

Bernt Nelson is an AFBF economist and discusses the results of their 2024 Summer Cookout Survey.

Increases happened across the board for the standard cookout staples. There were a few very noticeable increases and a few decreases that weren’t necessarily expected.

Nelson says it isn’t just the summer cookout that has consumers pinching those pennies tighter. The food cost is going up all over the place. What isn’t increased in price is usually decreased in size.

Learn more by going to the AFBF website.