Inflation drives food prices up ahead of Super Bowl LVII

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Super Bowl revelers are likely to pay more for their favorite party foods this year, as inflation continues to squeeze budgets.

According to a report from Forbes, the cost of at-home food for the Super Bowl is up 11.8% while food away from home is up 8.3%.

Beer saw the largest price increase among alcoholic drinks. It's currently up 11% from last year, while wine is up 3% and spirits are up 2%.

Coming closest to the overall average, potato and tortilla chips are up roughly 10% from last year.

According to the article on Forbes, food prices rising can be attributed to a number of factors.

The United States is facing an outbreak of avian flu, which is a virus that affects birds, leading chicken prices to rise.

Along with the bird flu, Eastern Europe produces a large portion of the world's wheat and grain. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the world's supply has been stressed due to the conflict.

However, these two factors are not the only stressors that the food industry has faced in recent history.

Issues began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when labor and transportation costs increased.

Grocery stores are hoping to entice customers to spend more with deals on foods and drinks that are often consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.

Hy-Vee is offering deals on ranging from chips to meat and beer.

According to the Hy-Vee website, chips, soda and beer are among the discounted items.

According to the assistant manager of perishables at the Hy-Vee on Nifong in Columbia, Matt Werdehausen, one of the big-ticket items shoppers keep coming for is the chicken wings.

Just Bare wings and drums are being sold for $3.99 a lb.

"That's your higher end product with your lower end price," Werdehausen said.

According to Werdehausen, they're trying to balance people's budget and make things fair going forward.

Along with the sales going on to help out last minute shoppers, there are also rain checks being given to shoppers, which is meant to provide shoppers with all their needs regardless if things are in stock or not.

"We want you to leave with the product that you bought," Werdehausen said. "But if you can't, we want to make sure you get it for that price. They last 30 days, basically you come in and if I ran out of that product, you can come to customer service, show the ad, and we'll write that up for 30 days."

All Columbia Hy-Vee locations will be operating within normal business hours on Super Bowl Sunday, opening at 6 a.m. and closing at 11 p.m.