Memorial Day barbecues under fire as food prices continue to soar

There’s nothing new under the bun.

Fixings for the traditional summer barbecue will once again put a strain on wallets as inflation-weary Americans fire up the grill this Memorial Day.

Consumers can expect to pay an average of nearly 9% more than they did last year for a family-sized selection of barbecue essentials, including eight-count packs of hot dogs, burgers, hamburger buns, and hot dog buns, along with relish, ketchup, and mustard.

Those basics will cost the average clan $27.32 this year, compared with an already spendy $25.07 in 2022, according to the Datasembly Grocery Price Index, which measures weekly changes in pricing for grocery products using data from more than 150,000 stores across the country. 

This year, analysts say, it’s condiments that are largely to blame.

“Most people will be paying more for the hamburger bun and condiments than they did a year ago, and the price of beer has also increased,” David Ortega, a food economist and associate professor at Michigan State University, told The Post.

In one year, the price of a 32-ounce bottle of ketchup has surged 28%, going from $4.08 to $5.22, according to 2022 and 2023 statistics compared by Datasembly for MarketWatch.

 A 20-ounce container of mustard is up 13.04%, from $2.07 to $2.34; while a 26-ounce jar of relish is up 12.28% from $2.85 to $3.20.

Expect to shell out a lot more lettuce for your bread, too.

That package of hot dog buns went up 7.37% in one year, from $2.85 to $3.06. Hamburger buns are up 7.39%, from $2.84 to $3.05.

Then again, what’s in the bun could come cheaper this year — “with beef and pork prices slightly slower than last year,” according to Ortega.

Hot dog lovers will be pleased to note the relatively mild increase in price, up 2.99% from $3.34 to $3.44 for that pack of eight, while fresh ground beef prices are down 0.43% from $7.04 in 2022 to $7.01 for enough to feed six.

The overall spike in summer staples dovetails with the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ April Consumer Price Index, which showed the cost of food in April was up 7.7% year over year.

Groceries, specifically, were up 7.1%, according to BLS data.

Consumers are also increasingly faced with paying luxury prices for junk food favorites — the category, which includes iconic snacks like Doritos and Lay’s Potato Chips, is up a whopping 10.1% over the already high 2022 prices.

And washing them down will be hard to swallow — alcoholic beverages are up 4.6% compared to last year; while carbonated drinks like soda are up 11.9% compared with 2022 prices, BLS data show.

Desserts will also spike more than just blood sugar — bakery products are up 12.9%.

“We are starting to see improvements with regards to food price inflation, but prices remain largely elevated,” Ortega said. “It pays off to shop around and take advantage of any last-minute deals.”