Memorial Day cookout prices up 13%

Groundwork Collaborative said on May 21 that a basket of Memorial Day barbecue staples costs 13% more than a year ago, adding a fresh inflation gauge to the holiday weekend. The analysis, cited by The Cool Down in a May 23 report, said families face higher prices for burgers, hot dogs, corn and pies as the summer grilling season begins. CNBC reported separately on May 23 that gas, meat, travel and recreation costs were also rising into the weekend. Cleveland Clinic published grilling-safety advice on May 22, saying millions of Americans get sick from food poisoning each year. ### Which cookout items are getting more expensive? Groundwork Collaborative said burgers, brats, hot dogs, corn and store-bought pies all posted year-over-year increases in its Memorial Day snapshot. The group said ground beef was up 20%, brats 28% and hot dogs 12%. Corn was the sharpest move in the analysis. Groundwork said the price of corn had doubled from a year earlier, while pies were up as much as 37%. The Cool Down reported those figures on May 23, describing the increases as a jump in classic cookout foods ahead of the long weekend. The outlet attributed the numbers to a new analysis rather than federal holiday-specific pricing data. ### Is this showing up beyond the grocery aisle? CNBC reported on May 23 that travel, recreation and food prices were all rising as Americans headed into Memorial Day weekend. Stephen Juneau, a senior U.S. economist at Bank of America, told CNBC that consumers “are not going to be happy about what they see.” Gasoline was part of that broader squeeze. CNBC said higher fuel costs were adding pressure for households making the holiday a road-trip weekend as well as a cookout weekend. A separate CNBC video report on May 22 said key barbecue staples including ground beef, hot dogs and beer were posting sharp increases in the latest Consumer Price Index data. That report tied the cookout story more directly to recent inflation readings. ### Where did the 13% figure come from? Groundwork Collaborative published the analysis on May 21 under a holiday-weekend roundup of food and travel prices. The group said Memorial Day staples were up 13% on average, which it described as four times overall inflation. The report was framed as an advocacy analysis, not a Bureau of Labor Statistics holiday index. That means the 13% figure reflects Groundwork’s selected basket of cookout items rather than an official government Memorial Day measure. Fox Business, citing April Consumer Price Index data, separately reported on May 22 that frankfurters were up 10.7% from a year earlier while some chicken prices had declined. That suggests the increases were uneven across meats even as beef-heavy cookouts became more expensive. ### What are doctors telling people before they grill? Cleveland Clinic said on May 22 that food safety should be part of any Memorial Day grilling plan because millions of Americans get sick from food poisoning every year. The hospital system said meat should be marinated in the refrigerator, not left out on the counter. The clinic also told cooks to use a food thermometer and avoid cross-contamination between raw meat and ready-to-eat foods. Its guidance said partially cooking meat indoors and finishing it later on the grill can create safety risks if the food is not handled properly. WKBN, which carried the clinic’s advice, said the guidance was aimed at Memorial Day cooks but applied throughout the summer grilling season. ### What should readers watch next? Memorial Day weekend runs through May 25, and retailers, economists and news outlets are likely to keep updating price and travel snapshots through the holiday. Groundwork Collaborative’s May 21 analysis, CNBC’s May 23 inflation coverage and Cleveland Clinic’s May 22 food-safety guidance remain the clearest reference points for shoppers and grillers heading into the final day of the weekend.