Friday, November 22, 2019

After three years of decline, cost of Thanksgiving meal about the same as last year, says new Farm Bureau survey

In the past year, the price of the average Thanksgiving meal for 10 has remained virtually unchanged since last year; the cost went up one penny to $48.91 this year, shaking out to less than $5 per person. That’s according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 34th annual survey. This year’s leveling off of Thanksgiving prices comes after three years of decline in cost since 2015.

The study assesses the prices for the most common dishes on the Thanksgiving table. And though the overall cost of the meal remained steady, there was notable fluctuation in individual items. The turkey, for example, cost about $1.30 per pound, 4 percent less than last year and the lowest price since 2010. Other items measured include stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee with milk, Morning Ag Clips reports. Cubed bread stuffing and canned pumpkin pie mix also declined slightly from last year.

"The Thanksgiving price survey opens the door to a deeper dialogue about how food is produced and how prices remain so stable despite volatility in the farm economy this year and severe weather hampering planting and harvest," AFBF Chief Economist John Newton said. "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."

Most Americans were surprised to learn that farmers get so little of the share from food prices, according to a new AFBF survey, and three-quarters of respondents said they were more interested in learning more about how their food is produced. According to survey results, 88% of respondents said they trust farmers, Morning Ag Clips reports.

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