By Chris Pandolfo | Fox Business
Americans are paying a record high cost to host their July 4th cookouts this year as inflation, like the weather, is still hot.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), a traditional Independence Day barbecue for 10 will cost $71.22, up from $59.50 in 2021. Higher prices for burger meat, buns, cheese and favorite sides like chips all add up to a painful bill to light up that grill.
“Nationally, this means we are surpassing $7 per person for the first time, with the total meal coming to $7.12 a person,” said AFBF economists Bernt Nelson and Samantha Ayoub. “Only two dishes decreased in price while everything else on your table rose, on average. Your grocery bill may be a shock, but it is in line with the inflation that has roiled the economy — including the farm economy — over the last several years.”
AFBF’s market basket survey enlisted volunteers from around the nation to catalog prices for a complete, homemade cookout featuring cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, potato chips, homemade potato salad, fresh-squeezed lemonade, chocolate chip cookies and, of course, ice cream.