Thanksgiving dinner will cost 20% more this year because of inflation
By Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN Business
Thanksgiving dinner will cost a whopping 20% more than it did last year, according to a new survey released Wednesday by the American Farm Bureau Federation.
A feast for 10 with 12 menu items including a turkey, stuffing, cranberries, and pumpkin pie mix will cost $64.05 on average — up $10.74 from last year. That breaks down to about $6.50 per person, according to the annual survey.
The price of a 16-pound turkey is $28.96 on average this year, up 21% from 2021, according to the survey. Inflation cooled last month but still remains elevated at 7.7% for the year ending in October.
“General inflation slashing the purchasing power of consumers is a significant factor contributing to the increase in average cost of this year’s Thanksgiving dinner,” said Roger Cryan, chief economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Everyone who wants a turkey should be able to find one this year despite some temporary regional shortages in states where the avian influenza was prevalent in parts of the Midwest. Supply chain issues stemming from the war in Ukraine pushed the cost of Thanksgiving menu items higher, as did higher input costs for farmers and ranchers like feed, fuel, and fertilizer.
Every Thanksgiving meal item tracked by the Farm Bureau rose in cost this year, except for one: cranberries. A 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries dropped by 14% to $2.57. The biggest price increases were on stuffing, which is up a whopping 69%, and pie crusts and whipped cream — both up 26%, the survey said.
The Farm Bureau also priced out an “expanded holiday menu” with additional items: ham, Russet potatoes, and frozen green beans, which would add an additional $17.25 to a meal for 10.
The survey was conducted by 224 volunteer shoppers who checked prices in person and online at grocery stores across all 50 states and Puerto Rico from October 18-31. The shoppers looked for the best possible prices without using coupons or shopping deals, the Farm Bureau said. Shoppers in the western part of the country saw the highest prices while those in the South found the most affordable Thanksgiving menu items.
Since the survey was taken, there has been some good news for all shoppers on the turkey front: prices for frozen turkeys are dropping by about 14% this week, and most grocery store chains are now offering deals, according to an analysis of United States Department of Agriculture data by the Farm Bureau.
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