Cost Of Turkey And Trimmings Up A Bit This Year

Nov. 21–The cost of the Thanksgiving feast is up this year, but it shouldn't hurt the average person's wallet.

To feed a family of 10 a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, shoppers can expect to pay $49.41, up 37 cents from last year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. However, that price is seven cents lower than what the meal cost in 2012.

The Farm Bureau's annual informal survey of consumer grocery prices found that the cost for a turkey, stuffing mix and dinner rolls dropped, but increases in the price of whipped cream, milk , sugar, eggs, coffee and sweet potatoes drove the overall cost higher.

A conventional 16 pound turkey is down 11 cents from 2013, flour based products dropped 21 cents, but dairy items were up 25 cents, and sweet potato prices jumped 20 cents, according to the survey.

Using the same menu of turkey, stuffing, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, carrots, celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, sweet potatoes, coffee, and milk, Walmart estimates shoppers will spend just $32.64 at one of it's stores this year.

Bowman and Landes Turkeys Inc. president Steve Landes said prices for his free-range, grain-fed, antibiotic-free turkeys are up a modest three percent this year to $3.39 a pound.

"We had originally hoped we could keep our prices the same, but when we got to doing the math, it just didn't quite work out," Landes said of his farm near New Carlisle.

Driving the increase? The higher cost of grain and the increase in general business expenses, like insurance and taxes, Landes said.

Shoppers said prices aren't changing their Thanksgiving meal plans.

"Food in general is definitely higher," said Carolyn May of Dayton, "but I don't even pay attention to the price for turkey, because we have to have it. It's a tradition."

Shopper Basil Coterel of Dayton admits he doesn't do much of the grocery shopping for his family, but said he was finding bargains.

"I got good deals on pies, ham, and turkey What I found was cheap," Coterel said.

The USDA estimates Americans will collectively spend $2.3 billion on Thanksgiving dinner this year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

___

(c)2014 Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)

Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC