Grilling Season Comes With a Price Tag This Year

If you're planning to fire up the grill this summer, be ready to spend more, especially on beef. The average retail price for beef hit a record $9.64 per pound last month, a 13% jump from last year, according to the USDA.

The reason comes down to supply and demand. Rising operating costs have pushed many cattle farmers to cut the size of their herds, now at a 75-year low. But American demand for meat hasn't slowed, and that gap is driving prices up.

Stew Leonard Jr., president and CEO of Stew Leonard's grocery stores in the New York tri-state area, says he's been absorbing some of the cost increases rather than passing them fully to shoppers. "I can't pass 100% of our cost increases onto our customers, and they're fed up right now," he said. Leonard, who has worked in the grocery business for more than 50 years, called the current prices unlike anything he's seen before.

His advice: skip the premium cuts and go with burgers and hot dogs instead. Chicken is a solid alternative this year, with boneless chicken breasts averaging around $4.17 per pound. Salmon prices have also dropped.

The news is more mixed on produce. Tomato prices are up nearly 40% from last year due to weather affecting the supply, though potatoes are cheaper. Leonard says shoppers can find deals by watching for products stores are trying to move quickly. He also warns against buying pre-sliced items like watermelon, noting it's significantly cheaper to buy whole, and says to be cautious around free samples, as retailers often charge more for those products nearby.