As summer begins in earnest, British consumers are feeling the squeeze at the barbecue, with prices for iconic grill favourites such as burgers, sausages and chicken climbing dramatically over the past year. Rising costs are being driven by entrenched inflationary pressures across the food sector, compounding the challenge for households planning outdoor meals.
Supermarket data reveals that a four-pack of own‑label quarter‑pound beef burgers is now nearly £4—up 53% compared with August last year, according to analysts at Assosia. Traditional grill items such as steak and kebabs are increasingly unaffordable, pushing households toward poultry options. However, a shift to chicken has only heightened demand, contributing to higher prices in that category too. Calculated from pre‑promotion listings at retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons, a 600 g pack of chicken thighs now costs £5.54—a 13% rise year‑on‑year.
Industry insiders point to a “perfect storm” of rising meat costs. For example, wholesale beef prices have declined cattle numbers, while welfare-led reductions in poultry shed capacity are tightening supply in the face of avian flu and regulatory changes—factors keeping chicken prices elevated. Meanwhile, fresh meat inflation as a whole surged by 11.5% year-on-year in April, with beef and lamb prices up by nearly 21% and 20%, respectively, underscoring the severity of pressure in red‑meat markets. On the other hand, pork and chicken have seen smaller year-on-year gains, though still registering monthly increases of nearly 1%.
The British Retail Consortium’s latest Shop Price Monitor for July shows that overall food prices are up about 4% compared with a year earlier—the sixth straight month of rising food inflation. Meat and tea have been among the hardest hit categories. Fresh food inflation remained around 3.2% while ambient goods pushed ahead at roughly 5.1%.
Cost rises aren’t limited to protein alone. Extras for a barbecue—like cheese slices, brioche buns and soft drinks—have also increased in price. Cheese is being squeezed by high raw material costs, buns by rising ingredient and packaging prices, and soft drinks by doubling polymer plastic costs and elevated sugar and concentrate prices since late 2024.
Foodservice operators are feeling the pinch, too. Restaurant and bar food prices rose 2% month-on-month in June, with rising labour costs cited as a key contributor. Hospitality faces growing pressure as menu price hikes combine with cautious consumer spending during peak season.
The broader landscape shows food inflation at 4.5% in June 2025—a level not seen since early 2024—and ahead of overall CPI inflation, which stood at 3.6%. Forecasts from the Institute of Grocery Distribution expect rates to fluctuate between 2.4% and 4.9% across 2025, with operating cost pressures and policy changes playing major roles.
In sum, from rising wholesale meat input costs and tighter poultry supply to broader packaging and labour increases, an array of forces are converging to push up the price of summer grilling essentials across the UK. As households reassess meal planning and hospitality operations absorb additional costs, the impact of sustained inflation threatens to linger through the season.
