So you’ve had your fill of turkey, until Christmas that is.
And with the Christmas shopping season now in full gear, it’s nice to know 10 people can be fed for less than $50, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual survey of classic food items typically found on holiday dinner tables.
Based on statistics from the American Farm Bureau Federation, 10 people can be fed for $48.91, or less than $5 per person. This is an increase of one penny from last year’s cost, the AFBF said in a release.
“The average cost of this year’s Thanksgiving dinner is essentially unchanged from last year after three years of decline since 2015,” said John Newton, AFBF chief economist.
The biggest price drop, according to the survey, was for turkey with a 16-pound bird costing $20.80, a 91-cent drop from a year ago. This is the lowest price since 2010, AFBF said.
Turkey production in the U.S. has increased 110 % since 1970, while the average person is estimated to have consumed 16.3 pounds of the meat last year, the AFBF said. Minnesota was the leading producer of turkeys, followed by North Carolina and Arkansas. Neighboring Pennsylvania was ninth. West Virginia was not ranked.
A survey of local grocery chains by CNBC showed discount chain Aldi was charging 87 cents per pound for a frozen, all-natural Butterball turkey. That same turkey could be found at Costco for 99 cents per pound; at Giant Eagle and Kroger, $1.59 per pound for a Butterball turkey; and Target, 89 cents per pound.
The cost of other traditional holiday food items showed the price of a 14-ounce box of cubed stuffing was $2.68, down 19 cents from a year earlier. Canned pumpkin pie mix — 30 ounces — was $3.32, down a penny from a year ago, AFBF said.
On the flip side, three pounds of sweet potatoes now costs $3.75 — up 36 cents from 2018 — which makes this the holiday food item that increased the most, the AFBF said. The price of a dozen rolls jumped to $2.50, a 25-cent hike.
The price of a gallon of whole milk was $3.10, up 18 cents, while the price of a pound of peas went up 2 cents to $1.49 a pound. Two pie shells came to $2.52, up a nickel, and the price of 12 ounces of fresh cranberries was $2.66.
Separately, the average price of a 4-pound ham was $9.16, up 63 cents from 2018. Five pounds of Russet potatoes were $2.74, down a penny, and a pound of green beans was $1.51, a 2-cent drop from a year ago.
“Americans continue to enjoy the most affordable food supply in the world, but most don’t realize only 8 cents of every dollar consumers spend on food goes to farmers,” Newton said.
And despite the fact more than 200 million turkeys are consumed each year in the U.S., Americans do not consume the most turkey. That honor goes to Israel, according to mentalfloss.com.
Israelis eat 25.4 pounds of turkey each year, mostly because of the cost of red meat as well as climate constraints.
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