🏈Be prepared to dig a little bit deeper for snacks if you're hosting a Super Bowl party this year
This year’s Super Bowl party hosts will likely shell out more money at the grocery store for game day snacks spread, but not by much.
While the overall cost of a Super Bowl party spread for 10 people is expected to be about $140, up 1.6% from last year’s $138, individual prices for some of the most popular snack items are actually down year-over-year, according to the latest Wells Fargo Super Bowl Food Report Monday.
Compared to last year, store prices have dropped for fresh chicken wings (down 2.8%), tortilla chips (down 0.7%), avocados (down 2.4%), prepared carrots (down 3.1%), red bell peppers (down 3.1%) and frozen pizza (down 0.6%). But prices remain unchanged from a year ago for potato chips and nacho cheese dip, the report said.
One frequently served menu item — shrimp — is more expensive this year, up 8.1% to $9.10 per pound, but that’s still cheaper than beef, which has averaged $10.08 per pound as supply chain issues continue to run up prices for the meat, the report said.
Fresh vegetables are also pricier, with retail prices for cherry tomatoes up 2%, celery up 2.6% and broccoli and cauliflower up 4% from a year ago, which Wells Fargo analysts attributed to “tighter supply and stronger demand.”
“The good news for hosts this year is that many Super Bowl staples are more affordable. We found that hosting a party for ten will cost about $14 per person, which should be very manageable given recent wage gains,” Dr. Michael Swanson, chief agricultural economist with Wells Fargo’s Agri-Food Institute, told Bagable.com. “While shrimp and beef are more expensive, hosts who plan strategically can swap in chicken wings and still serve a high‑quality protein while saving money.”
Finally, among beverage options, beer prices are up 1.3% and are 0.5% higher for wine, compared to 2025.
Super Bowl winner: Chicken wings
A traditional Super Bowl party spread isn’t complete without its star attraction - chicken wings.
The protein-packed snack is one of the most-consumed foods on Super Bowl Sunday. Last year, industry group the National Chicken Council estimated that as many as 1.47 billion chicken wings were consumed on game day, up 1.5%, or about 20 million more wings, from the prior year. This year’s forecast is for 1.48 billion wings to be consumed.
Tyson Foods TSN 0.00%↑, one of the biggest producer of chicken wings that sells nearly six billion wings annually, said it anticipates demand for chicken wings to spike 20% to 30% in February(and demand for other boneless chicken products to jump 10% to 20% next month) leading up to the Super Bowl on Feb. 8.