Indiana Farm Bureau: Hoosiers can expect higher grocery prices this summer

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Spring is gone, but Hoosiers will feel the pinch of rising food prices well into the summer.

Hoosier shoppers will pay an average of $69.47, or $6.95 per person, for a 10-person cookout this summer — an increase of 8% compared to last year, the Indiana Farm Bureau’s annual summer cookout market basket revealed.

The cost of $6.95 per person is 18 cents higher than the U.S. average of $6.77. It marks the first time since 2019 that Indiana’s price came in above the national average, Indiana Farm Bureau says.

The total market basket price of $69.47 includes ground beef, cheese, hamburger buns, pork chops, chicken breasts, pork and beans, potato salad, strawberries, chips, ice cream, cookies, and lemonade.

All items on the shopping list are more expensive in Indiana than last year, except cheese and pork chops, which were relatively unchanged.

Many items — including ice cream, strawberries, pork and beans, and potato salad — came in below the national average, but the same can’t be said for chicken breasts, chips, and cookies.

“We are still seeing food inflation throughout the whole supermarket, specifically with items that require more processing, labor, and transportation,” INFB Chief Economist Dr. Todd Davis said. “This impacts items like cookies and chips that are non-perishable with no urgency to sell by a strict deadline.”

The INFB summer cookout survey was conducted in early June by volunteer shoppers across Indiana who collected prices on specific food items from their local grocery stores. Volunteers were asked to look for the best possible prices without relying on special promotions or coupons.