BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The most economical Super Bowl snack on Sunday will be wings covered in nacho cheese.
- Data shows that inflation has contributed to an increase in the majority of Super Bowl snacks, plastic and paper items
- Slowly recovering supply chain issues have made chicken wings and plastic forks an exception to the overall trend of inflation
- labor and logistics costs, along with food shortages, are significant contributors to the current inflation trend
As the biggest football event of the year approaches, fans are gearing up for their annual Super Bowl celebrations.
However, inflation has caused the price of snacks to go up this year, just like everything else, and it has taken a toll on the prices of popular Super Bowl snacks and condiments.
As much as consumers have felt the inflation's effects at the grocery store, Super Bowl snacks have been particularly affected, with prices rising higher than the average.
With 99 million people having watched the Super Bowl in 2022, increased prices are bound to affect millions of Americans in 2023.
Pattern Data Science, an e-commerce accelerator that analyzes prices for some Super Bowl snack items, has illustrated how much it will cost partiers this year in a graph that shows the breakdown of the fluctuating average price of popular Super Bowl snacks:
Some snacks even more affected
The average price of all snack foods and condiments rose 6% from the first quarter of 2022 to the same period in 2023.
That in itself is a considerable increase. However, some popular party snacks have seen increases as high as 35% — such as mayonnaise, which has gone from $4.68 to $6.31.
That highlights the extent to which inflation has exacerbated the surging prices of Super Bowl-related items.
Besides mayo, mozzarella sticks (27%), ranch dressing (26%), crackers (17%), mustard (14%) and dip (11%) are the Super Bowl items that have experienced price hikes of more than 10%.
Chase Westhoff, Pattern's data scientist, attributes the rise in cost for snacks this year to various factors, such as increased labor costs, higher costs for manufacturing, shipping, warehousing and energy, as well as disruptions in supply chains.
For food items such as eggs, scarcity also worsens the issue.
Wings price landing; forks also stick out
While many items have seen a price surge, there are a few exceptions to the trend.
The cost of chicken wings, a staple for any Super Bowl party, has declined 13% on average ($39.19-$34.20) and the prices for nacho cheese ($5.89-$5.13) and hot dogs ($23.47-$22.02) also have gone down by 13% and 6%, respectively.
Chase pointed out that meat products such as chicken wings, hot dogs and hamburgers have experienced inflation ease compared with other food items, as supply chains have stabilized.
Nonetheless, the outbreak of avian flu soon may result in a resurgence of rising chicken prices, he added.
Along with food prices, plastic and paperware costs also have increased at the same time.
On average, customers now spend 15% more on paper plates, with the price going up from $18.08 to $20.77. On the other hand, inflation has had a lesser impact on plasticware and napkins, with only a 3-5% increase in price.
"If the general trend continues, plastic forks may also fall victim to inflation, though to a lesser degree."Chase Westhoff, a data scientist with Pattern
While the majority of plastic and paper products have seen their prices grow, the cost of plastic forks has gone against the trend, decreasing by 3% during the same reporting period.
That, according to Westhoff, may be a result of the slowly resolving supply chain issues in the plastic industry.
"If the general trend continues, plastic forks may also fall victim to inflation, though to a lesser degree," he said.
So stick a fork in those nacho cheese-covered wings and enjoy.
