MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — People who are grilling for Memorial Day may have had to dig a little deeper in their wallets to buy all their favorite foods to put on the grill.
Chicken, ribs, Conecuh sausage are all must-haves for a Mobile-style Memorial Day cookout, but people like Jamar Williams noticed their grocery bill is a bit higher than normal.
“The prices are very expensive on food but I mean, I guess that’s the way life is,” said Williams. “I mean, I hate to say it like that.”
A study from MarketWatch breaks down the costs of condiments that people usually buy for a barbecue. The numbers show the cost from May 2022 to May 2023.
According to the study, ketchup, mustard, relish and hotdog buns have increased in price with ketchup increasing the most. The study says the average price of a 32 ounce bottle of ketchup went up from $4.08 to $5.22.
Mustard’s price went from $2.07 to $2.34 for an average 20 ounce bottle.
Relish went from $2.85 to $3.20, and an eight count of hot dog buns went from $2.85 to $3.06, according to the study.
For most shoppers, they aren’t really surprised with this data.
“Everything’s going up with inflation,” said shopper Arthur Jalazadeh, “But also not surprised, but it’s not like a huge drastic change where it’s significant that you don’t buy it.”
Condiments may be more expensive, but the prices of meats are not impacted as much with inflation.
According to the MarketWatch study, beef steaks and ground beef is staying relatively the same in price.
Beef steaks have seen an increase in price. In May of last year, the price was $9.69, and as of April of this year, the price went up to $9.96, but for ground beef, the price went down. In May 2022, the price was $5.33 and the price went to $5.25.
Even though most food prices are higher, people grilling out in the parks can look past that, and still enjoy their meal.
“You know, it’s not raining,” recalled Williams. “But I’m cooking on the grill for my kids and stuff like that. We had a long weekend.”