-November 16,2023-
Gathering around the table for a Thanksgiving dinner won’t take as much of a toll on your pocketbook this year compared to 2022, but the meal still reflects historically high costs. The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 38th annual survey provides a snapshot of the average cost of this year’s classic holiday feast for 10, which is $61.17 or less than $6.20 per person.
That is a 4.5% decrease from last year’s record-high average of $64.05, but a Thanksgiving meal is still 25% higher than it was in 2019, which highlights the impact high supply costs and inflation have had on food prices since before the pandemic.
The centerpiece on most Thanksgiving tables – the turkey – helped bring down the overall cost of dinner. The average price for a 16-pound turkey is $27.35. That is $1.71 per pound, down 5.6% from last year.
“Turkey prices have fallen thanks to a sharp reduction in cases of avian influenza, which have allowed production to increase in time for the holiday”says a Farm Bureau spokesperson.Last year, supply concerns and record turkey and egg prices during the 2022 holiday season caused problems for consumers and farmers. Egg prices are way down this year as well.
Almost everything on the Thanksgiving menu is lower – prices for cranberries have dropped 18%- 2 frozen pie crusts are $3.50 (down 4.9%) and a half pint of whipping cream is $1.73 (down 22.8%).