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A12 BUSINESS
Thursday 17 November 2022
Rising food costs take a bite out of

Thanksgiving dinner

By DEE-ANN DURBIN
AP Business Writer
In early November, Hays
Culbreth’s mother sent a
poll to a few family mem-
bers. She said she could
only afford to make two
sides for their group of
15 this Thanksgiving and
asked them each to vote
for their favorites.
Culbreth guesses green
beans and macaroni and
cheese will make the cut,
but his favorite sweet
potato casserole with a
brown sugar crust will not. Frozen turkeys are displayed at a supermarket in Philadelphia,
“Talk about Thanksgiving Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021.
being ruined,” joked Cul- Associated Press
breth, 27, a financial plan-
ner from Knoxville, Tennes- As a result, U.S. turkey sup- prices are giving cooks
see. plies per capita are at their fewer cheap alternatives,
Americans are bracing for lowest level since 1986, said he said. Avian flu also
a costly Thanksgiving this Mark Jordan, the execu- pushed egg prices into
year, with double-digit per- tive director of Jonesboro, record territory, Anderson
cent increases in the price Arkansas-based Leap Mar- said. In the second week of
of turkey, potatoes, stuff- ket Analytics. Jordan pre- November, a dozen Grade
ing, canned pumpkin and dicts the wholesale price A eggs were selling for an
other staples. The U.S. gov- of a frozen, 8-16 pound tur- average of $2.28, more
ernment estimates food key hen the type typically than double the price from
prices will be up 9.5% to purchased for Thanksgiv- the prior year, according
10.5% this year; historically, ing will hit $1.77 per pound to the U.S. Department of
they’ve risen only 2% an- in November, up 28% from Agriculture.
nually. Lower production the same month last year. Egg prices would have
and higher costs for labor, Still, there will be plenty of been higher even with-
transportation and items whole birds for Thanksgiv- out the flu, Anderson said,
are part of the reason; dis- ing tables, Jordan said. because of the rising cost
ease, rough weather and Companies have been of the corn and soybean
the war in Ukraine are also shifting a higher percent- meal used for chicken
contributors. age of birds into the whole feed. Ukraine is normally
“This really isn’t a shortage turkey market for the last a major exporter of corn,
thing. This is tighter supplies few years to take advan- and the loss of that supply
with some pretty good tage of the consistent holi- has caused global prices
reasons for it,” said David day demand. to soar. Add that to rising
Anderson, a professor and And not every producer prices for canned pump-
agricultural economist at was equally affected. kin a 30-ounce can is up
Texas A&M. Butterball which supplies 17% from last year, accord-
Wholesale turkey prices around one-third of Thanks- ing to market researcher
are at record highs after a giving turkeys said avian Datasembly and it’s clear
difficult year for U.S. flocks. flu impacted only about Thanksgiving dessert will be
A particularly deadly strain 1% of its production be- costlier too.
of avian flu first reported cause of security measures Nestle-owned Libby which
in February on an Indiana it put in place after the last produces 85% of the
turkey farm has wiped out big bout of flu in 2015. world’s canned pump-
49 million turkeys and other But it could be harder for kin said pumpkin harvests
poultry in 46 states this year, shoppers to find turkey were in line with previous
according to the U.S. Cen- breasts or other cuts, Jor- years, but it had to com-
ters for Disease Control. dan said. And higher ham pensate for higher labor,
transportation, fuel and
energy costs.
Plan to fill up on sides?
That will also cost you. A
16-ounce box of stuffing
costs 14% more than last
year, Datasemby said.
And a 5-pound bag of
Russet potatoes averaged
$3.26 the second week of
November, or 45.5% higher
than a year ago. q