Thanksgiving meal up 14%, grocery stores offering deals later than usual

BOSTON — Many of you might be running out to the grocery store to pick up some last-minute items for your Thanksgiving dinner. And you might also notice that everything is adding up this year. That’s because the average price of a Thanksgiving dinner has gone up about 14% this year.

There are a lot of reasons for driving up the prices, mainly inflation and supply chain issues. According to a survey from the American Farm Bureau Federation finds Thanksgiving dinner for a family of ten will cost an average of $53.31, which is $6.41 more than last year. Turkey prices saw the biggest increase, up 24% since last year. Pie crusts are up 20%, and dinner rolls up by 15%.

There is one caveat to the AFBF’s survey. Prices were checked from October 26 to November 8, about two weeks before most grocery stores began offering deals on frozen and fresh turkeys. The survey found during that time, a 16-pound turkey cost $23.99. The AFBF found most stores offered sales later than usual this year, and so now prices for turkeys are lower than the AFBF’s average.

On top of inflation and supply chain issues, there’s been an overall increase in demand for food during the pandemic because people stayed at home and cooked meals, which is also to blame for the surge in prices.

The average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner is at an all-time high of $53.31 for a family of ten. But it’s not that much higher than what families paid six years ago, when it was just over $50. However, it was much cheaper 20 years ago, when it cost about $35 for a Thanksgiving dinner. And despite this year’s cost, it’s still less than $6 per person---which is cheaper than a fast food meal.

You might notice when you walk in some of the stores there might not be as many turkeys or other popular food items available, but the US agricultural secretary says there is still plenty of food for people to enjoy this Thanksgiving.

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