Thanksgiving Costs Drop As Turkey Demand Declines

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With less than one week before Thanksgiving, a turkey sits in a barn at the Willie Bird Turkey Farm November 26, 2013 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:06 PM – Thursday, November 21, 2024

Consumers will reportedly pay 5% less than last year on Thanksgiving dinner items, according to the American Farm Bureau. However, the average cost is still around 19% higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The turkey purchase itself, which now averages at about $25.67, presents a 6% decrease from 2023.

“The turkey is traditionally the main attraction on the Thanksgiving table and is typically the most expensive part of the meal,” stated Bernt Nelson, an economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). “The American turkey flock is the smallest it’s been since 1985 because of avian influenza, but overall demand has also fallen, resulting in lower prices at the grocery store for families planning a holiday meal.”

The average cost has fallen from a total of $61.17 for last year’s overall cost to feed 10 people, down to $58.08, according to the Farm Bureau data.

“We’re working on bringing folks back to purchasing turkey after a number of years of having elevated prices at the grocery store,” stated Ashley Kohls, the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association’s executive director.

Additionally, it appears that consumers could be providing more protein options at the table other than turkey, lowering the overall demand and subsequently, the cost.

“We’ve had those outlier years when there just aren’t enough turkeys to go around and our phones are just ringing off the hook. This is definitely not one of those years,” stated Indiana turkey farmer Greg Gunthorp.

“I think lots of people are adding items to the menu in addition to the turkey, things like brisket and ham,” he added.

Despite the overall costs falling, processed items like dinner rolls and cubed stuffing have increased in many stores by 8% due to higher labor costs, along with Cranberries, which has seen a nearly 12% year-over-year cost.

“We are seeing modest improvements in the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner for a second year, but America’s families, including farm families, are still being hurt by high inflation,” stated AFBF president Zippy Duvall.

This year’s Thanksgiving dinner for 10 will cost $58.08. That’s a 5% drop from last year, which was 4.5% lower than 2022.

Two years of declines don’t erase dramatic increases that led to a record high cost of $64.06 in 2022. Despite the encouraging momentum, a Thanksgiving meal… pic.twitter.com/FSKDX4Ih7n

— American Farm Bureau (@FarmBureau) November 21, 2024

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