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How Much More (Or Less) Will Our Fourth Of July Groceries Cost This Year?

With the Fourth of July holiday fast approaching, it’s time to start planning a menu and a trip to the supermarket. Are you ready to take out a second mortgage?…

Fourth of July spread with chicken wings, fries, burgers, corn, and beer.

Your Fourth of July spread could cost a lot more than it did last year. (Photo by Beo88/Getty Images)

Photo by Beo88/Getty Images

With the Fourth of July holiday fast approaching, it's time to start planning a menu and a trip to the supermarket. Are you ready to take out a second mortgage? You don't have to be an economist to know that grocery prices are still pinching the ol' pocketbook. The good news is that food inflation has slowed down, according to a Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute food report.

In a couple of cases, some products have actually come down in price, including chicken breasts and eggs. Of course, with egg prices we had nowhere to go by down. At the beginning of 2023, we were paying nearly $5.00 per dozen! Thankfully, that is a but a memory now.

The Wells Fargo report also points to a significant drop in corn and soybean prices that could ease grocery prices over the next year. That's bad news for farmers but good news for consumers. It seems like there's corn and soy in just about everything.

So there are definitely some reasons to feel optimistic regarding the future of food prices. Unfortunately, as we head into the Fourth of July weekend, we'll still be paying more for many backyard cookout staples than we were a year ago.

Fourth of July Food Prices (Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute)

Bread

Up 22% from last year. Yikes!

Sesame seed hamburger bun

(Photo by NARIN EUNGSUWAT/Getty Images)

Potato Chips

Up 15% year over year.

Man eating bowl of potato chips.

(Photo by Iuliia Pilipeichenko/Getty Images)

Soft Drinks

Up 14% from last year.

Cans of soda

(Photo by scanrail/Getty Images)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Up 14% year over year.

Chocolate chip cookies

(Photo by Songbird839/Getty Images)

Processed Cheese

Up 10% from last year.

Packets of Kraft cheese

(Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Ice cream

Up 9% year over year.

Bowl of cookies and cream ice cream

(Photo by tacar/Getty Images)

Beer

Up 8% from last year.

Group of people toasting with glasses of beer.

(Photo by liebre/Getty Images)

Sirloin Steak

Up 2.9% year over year...but last year it was up 14%!

Steaks on a grill

(Photo by rez-art/Getty Images)

Ground Beef

Up less than 1% from last year...when it is was up 16%!

Cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and onion on a sesame seed bun.

(Photo by nitrub/GettyImages)

Chicken Breasts

Down almost 2% year over year. Nice.

Packages of chicken breasts in supermarket

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Eggs

Down almost 7% from last year. Woo-hoo! But remember, we were paying close to $5.00 a dozen at the beginning of 2023.

Woman examining a carton of eggs in store.

(Photo by Igor Vershinsky/Getty Images)

Phil Harris is 50% of "Phil & Mel in the Afternoon" on K104.7. He has been with the station since 2013 and on the air in Charlotte since 2000. Before coming to the Queen City, Phil worked for radio stations in Pittsburgh, Austin, and Seattle. In addition to the weekly "Throwback Threesome" music video feature, Phil writes about things that matter to Charlotte sports fans and pet owners. He happens to be both.