Cost of Independence Day cookout skyrockets

DES MOINES — Fireworks aren’t the only things that are sky-high this Fourth of July weekend. Iowans who are grilling out should be prepared to pay much higher prices.

An American Farm Bureau Federation survey found consumers will pay an average of $69.68 for standard July Fourth cookout fare, including more costly burgers, buns, potato salad, chips, lemonade, and ice cream.

The item that rose in cost the most, ground beef, was up a whopping 36% from last year. It all breaks down to about $7 a person per 10 cookout attendees. Cookout costs are up $10 from last year or 17%, which the federation says is the largest increase since they started tracking data a decade ago.

The survey found prices are rising based on the ongoing war in Ukraine, inflation across the consumer landscape, supply chain disruptions and “shrinkflation” due to the pandemic, among other factors.