As Americans prepare to fire up the grill this 4th of July, rising food costs won’t put a damper on their holiday cook-out plans, according to new research from The Nielsen Company. U.S. consumers are expected to purchase more than 110 million pounds or $2,151 million worth of hot dogs during the four-week period surrounding the holiday. The holiday generates the greatest hot dog sales for the entire year.

Hot dogs aren’t the only item on July 4 menus, with consumers expected to purchase more than 25 million pounds or $117 million2 of fresh ground beef and more than 32 million pounds or nearly $71 million of frozen ground beef3 during the same time frame, while bratwurst and knockwurst sales will likely exceed $51 million. Carbonated beverage sales are also expected to soar, reaching a whopping $1.5 billion5 or more than 240 million cases. Beer is hot for summer months and the July 4 holiday, with more than 23 million cases6 expected to be sold in supermarkets alone.

“Rising food prices are not going to keep consumers from enjoying traditional, festive summer cookouts,” said Tom Pirovano, director of Industry Insights, The Nielsen Company. “There’s no doubt it’s going to cost them more, but they are still going to have their favorites.”

Hold the Bun?
As they look for ways to save money, cost-conscious consumers may wish to forgo the bun, as baked goods have experienced the greatest price increases of all cook-out fare examined by Nielsen. According to Nielsen data, consumers are expected to shell out 19.5 percent more for fresh bakery buns this year than they did at this time last year. Potato chips are a close second, up 18.8 percent, followed by processed American cheese slices, up 12.4 percent. Interestingly, the cost of fresh ground beef actually fell 0.6 percent, making it one of the few bargains of the season.

Higher grain prices are resulting in higher prices for breads and buns,” said Pirovano. “Consumer demand for healthier items such as whole-wheat bread and buns will likely drive up the cost of a picnic or barbeque even more. Healthy eating remains a priority for many shoppers despite the economic downturn.”

Declaring Independence from a Frigid Winter
Nielsen’s analysis of supermarket sales in 52 U.S. markets shows that cold weather cities tend to purchase more hamburger, hot dogs, and bratwurst during the four-week period surrounding Independence Day than consumers in other markets. Perhaps seeking to put frigid winter temperatures behind them, Minneapolis shoppers buy 367 percent more fresh ground beef than would be expected for a market of its size. When it comes to hot dogs, Syracuse comes out on top, buying 90 percent more, while Milwaukee consumers buy far more bratwurst and knockwurst than anyone else in the country -- a whopping 525 percent more than would be expected for a market of its size, followed by Minneapolis and St. Louis.