One of the most important family celebrations in the USA is coming up: Thanksgiving. For many, the festival includes a traditional menu centered around a roast turkey. The farmers’ lobby has been calculating the costs for this for more than three decades – and they are rising significantly this year.
Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays in the USA. Alongside Christmas, the American Thanksgiving Day is the family festival in the States – the volume of travel is already particularly high in the days before. The festival next Thursday also heralds a long weekend for most Americans. Even Wall Street in New York has closed and only trades briefly the following day. An integral part of this family day is food – and that often includes roast turkey. The Farm Bureau calculates the costs incurred for the menu every year – according to its own statements for the 37th time since 1986. And this year the price jump is particularly high and is well above the inflation rate of 7.7 percent recently.
According to the Farmers’ Lobby Association, the total cost per person for a ten-person party this year is $64.05. This is an increase of 20 percent compared to last year when expenses due were reported at $53.31. The turkey in particular makes a difference: The average price for a 16-pound bird (just under 7.3 kilograms) has risen by 21 percent to $28.96. For comparison: At the beginning of October, the German Federal Association of Peasant Goose Husbandry predicted a kilo price for the domestic Christmas goose of almost 19 euros.
But back to the USA: According to the information, the bag with the turkey filling was even more expensive by 69 percent. Cake base and whipped cream each rose in price by more than a quarter. Reasons include high inflation and disrupted supply chains, Farm Bureau chief economist Roger Cryan is quoted as saying.
However, the experts give a little hope for last-minute buyers: In the past week, the price per pound for the frozen turkey fell by 14 percent to 95 cents. At the same time, the proportion of shops offering discount campaigns increased. The second good news: There are enough turkeys for the population.
According to the information, the Farm Bureau shopping list used to calculate the total price for the ten-person meal also included sweet potatoes, rolls, peas, cranberries, pumpkin pie, coffee and milk. There are a total of twelve items on the shopping list for a classic menu.
The experts estimated an additional $17.25 for an expanded holiday menu with ham, Russet potatoes and frozen beans, for a total price of $81.30. Here the increase over the year was still 18 percent.
Last but not least, the Farm Bureau points out regional differences: the classic Thanksgiving menu in the south of the country can be had for under $60. In the west, on the other hand, families have to plan for more than 70 dollars. The national average costs were calculated using 224 surveys with price data from all 50 states plus Puerto Rico.
