Prices
soar for Memorial Day fixins’ for barbecues
NEW YORK (AP) — Hamburgers and hot dogs? Check. Lighter
fluid? Check. Beer? Check. More money?
Americans are about to fire up their barbecues for the start of
the summer cookout season, and one thing has become painfully apparent: It’s
going to cost a lot more than it did last year to roast a burger, or just about
any other barbecue favorite, on the grill.
Food inflation is the highest in almost two decades, driven by
record prices for oil, gas and mounting global demand for staples such as wheat
and corn, and for proteins such as chicken. And that’s reaching into Americans’
backyards.
The price of an average barbecue — with burgers, hot dogs,
beer, soda, condiments, salad, paper plates and lighter fluid — could run
families about 6 percent more than last year.
That’s making shoppers pause as they fill their carts for the
Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of the barbecue season.
“I’m finding myself questioning every purchase, wondering if it’s
gonna get eaten or if we really need it,” said Tony Caballero, an advertising
and marketing consultant, as he filled his cart with paper plates at a Food
Emporium in New York City. “When you do your everyday shopping, you try to cut
corners. But it’s a shame to have to scale down when you’re trying to throw a
party.”
The consumer price index for food rose 4 percent last year,
compared with a average 2.5 percent annual rise for the last 15 years. On
Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture raised its forecast for next year by
half a percentage point, to a range of 4.5 to 5.5 percent.
Basic economics account for most of the increase: Bad weather has
hurt crops, economic prosperity has driven up demand in developing countries,
and surging fuel prices have raised transportation costs.
Economists and food scientists have argued that biofuel production
is also a major factor in rising food costs, particularly corn, and that it
should be scaled back. Meat and poultry executives have come out against
federal ethanol mandates, which they say is driving the cost of corn higher.
Carol Tucker-Foreman, food policy expert at Consumer Federation of
America, said high-fructose corn syrup can be found in just about anything you’d
find at a cookout or picnic.
“The backyard barbecue is where you’ll see the most impact from
the government’s decision to subsidize the use of food to put fuel in our cars,”
she said. “From the ketchup to the paper plates, these are the things that are
going to cost you a lot more than they used to. And this is just the beginning.
Next year, it’ll be even more expensive just to stay home and make burgers.”
But the debate is moot for many American families who are
struggling to put gas in the car, pay the mortgage and put food on the picnic
table.
This year, the price for a pack of hot dogs has climbed almost 7
percent to $4.29. A 2-liter bottle of soda and a 16-ounce bag of potato chips
both jumped more than 10 percent to $1.33 and $3.89, respectively, while a
package of eight hamburger buns costs $1.61, 17 percent more.
The surge in
prices is forcing people to try to cut corners and find bargains where they
can, such as buying store brands, which tend to cost less than name brands.