Getting ready for your Fourth of July cookout? According to the latest informal Wisconsin Farm Bureau Marketbasket survey, the total cost of 12 food items used to host a summer cookout for 10 totaled $66.72, down 4.2 percent from last year’s state average.
The same survey conducted on the national level by American Farm Bureau totaled $67.73 which is 3 percent lower than last year’s national average.
While the cost of a summer cookout remains less than $7 per person, it is the still the second highest total since the survey’s inception which peaked in 2022 due to supply chain disruptions, inflation and the ongoing war in Ukraine, explains WFBF Public Relations Executive Director Amy Eckelberg.
The following image is the average price differences year over year for the products and ingredients in a typical summer cookout for 10 people. For lemonade, Farm Bureau collects sugar and lemon prices and use a formula to calculate the totals. Same goes for potato salad for the price of potatoes, eggs, celery and onions:
One way to reduce the impact of food costs in the home is exercising sustainable shopping habits. Approximately one-third of human food produced in the U.S. is lost or wasted. Using items effectively and creatively is a simple, easy way to stretch the food dollar.
Wisconsin Farm Bureau recently launched an online resource called Gather Wisconsin, helping consumers make connections between food, farming and their families. The website includes information on sustainable swaps within the home, clarification of best-by, use-by and sell-by dates, and tips for proper food storage: www.gatherwisconsin.com.
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