The cost of a Thanksgiving Dinner

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in 2005 which includes turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the trimmings costs slightly more than in 2004. The AFBF's 20th annual informal survey of the price of basic Thanksgiving food items for ten people and found this year's the average cost is $36.78. That is a $1.10 price increase over last year's average of $35.68.

The shopping list for the survey includes enough turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream and beverages of coffee and milk, to feed a family of 10 people.

According to the survey, the cost of a 16-pound turkey is $15.11 or approximately $0.94 a pound. This is an increase of $0.05 per pound, or a total of $0.88 per turkey compared to 2004.

“To the extent there was a small increase in the nominal cost of the Thanksgiving dinner, up 3 percent from 2004, most of it can be attributed to higher energy prices which affect processing, packaging, refrigeration and shipping costs,” said AFBF Senior Economist Terry Francl. “Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers are asked to look for the best possible prices, without taking advantage of special promotional coupons or purchase deals, such as spend $50 and receive a free turkey. The average price of turkey remains less than a dollar per pound again this year, an amazing value any way you slice it,” said Francl.

Data available from the Agriculture Department on last year's whole, frozen turkey indicates that four out of every five turkeys sold were discounted as a "holiday special." Based on those advertised specials, USDA found that the prices paid for whole, frozen turkeys in November 2004 were two-thirds the price of what consumers paid for the same turkeys during the other 11 months of the year. That means many consumers probably purchase Thanksgiving turkeys for far less than the AFBF survey's average.

Other Thanksgiving table items showing a slight price increase this year included: a gallon of whole milk at $3.09; a 30-oz. can of pumpkin pie mix at $1.86; a 16-oz. package of frozen green peas at $1.38; a 12-oz. package of cubed stuffing at $2.27; two 9-inch pie shells at $1.89; and a 12-oz. package of brown-n-serve rolls at $1.64. The price of a combined pound of celery and carrots, used for a relish tray, increased to $0.59.

Thanksgiving table items that decreased slightly in price this year were: sweet potatoes at $2.56 for three pounds; fresh cranberries at $1.84 for a 12-oz. package; and a half-pint of whipping cream at $1.51.

A combined group of miscellaneous items, including coffee and ingredients necessary to prepare the meal (onions, eggs, sugar, flour, evaporated milk and butter), increased by 14 cents to $3.04.

Francl said throughout the years, Americans have enjoyed very stable food costs. “The inflation-adjusted cost of a Thanksgiving dinner has hovered within a few cents of $20 for the past 15 years. This is indicative of the continued ability of American farmers to provide safe and wholesome food products in a very efficient and cost-effective manner,” he said.

The AFBF survey was first conducted in 1986 when the average cost of a Thanksgiving meal for a family of 10 was $28.74. This year’s actual cost of $36.78 is $19.04 in 1986 inflation-adjusted dollars. A total of 108 volunteer shoppers from 30 states participated in this year's survey. Farm Bureau's survey menu has remained unchanged since 1986 to allow for consistent price comparisons.


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