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NY Farm Bureau Market Basket Survey Reveals a Small
Price Increase for 2021 Thanksgiving Dinner
Published: November 18, 2021
at 03:00 p.m.
By: Press Release from New York Farm Bureau
NY FARM BUREAU MARKET
BASKET SURVEY REVEALS A SMALL PRICE INCREASE FOR 2021 THANKSGIVING DINNER
Informal survey
reflects a nearly 2% price jump over 2020
New York Farm Bureau’s 2021
Market Basket Survey shows the price of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner
saw a modest uptick from last year's meal. The average total price, which
includes a 16-pound turkey and other common items found on a holiday dinner
table, is $52.59, a 1.7% increase over last year.
Turkey prices are about $1.46
per pound in New York State, which is about five cents per pound over last
year’s average price in this informal survey. This price is slightly below
the national average of $1.50/lb. As
we move closer to Thanksgiving, turkey prices may continue to drop in
the stores, reflecting sales in the final days before the holiday.
The New York numbers revealed
small price increases in several categories including for whipping cream,
Libby’s Pumpkin Pie Mix, fresh cranberries, and a veggie tray. The most
noticeable decrease is for sweet potatoes.
This year’s survey also
includes a similar increase for an expanded menu that includes a
four-pound ham, five-pound bag of russet potatoes and a package of frozen
green beans. When those prices are included, the total meal price jumps to
$67.31 or 52 cents over last year’s number. New York shoppers found
bargains on hams compared to the national numbers, with a four-pound ham
about a dollar less than the national survey price of $10.87.
The survey highlights that the classic meal remains
affordable for a 10-person meal, though there are price increases across
the board. This is reflective of some of the supply and demand issues
that are driving up food prices in many categories, much of it related to
the on-going pandemic and the surge in at-home food consumption. Despite
those increases, most of those higher costs do not trickle down to the
farmer who receives only about eight cents of each dollar consumers
spend on food at the store. The rest goes to pay for things like
transportation, processing, packaging and
marketing of the food.
This survey is one of the
responsibilities of the NYFB State Promotion and Education Committee and is
part of the national effort with the American Farm Bureau Federation. AFBF’s
36th annual informal national price survey found the average national cost
of this year’s feast is $53.31, or 72 cents more than
New York’s number. That is in part attributed to the competitive nature of
grocery store markets in New York State and perhaps better promotional
pricing than in other regions of the country. More
information on the national survey can be found at www.fb.org.
“Challenges remain across our
food system, but farmers haven’t stopped doing what we do best, growing
quality, nutritious food. Market disruptions have affected some prices, but
overall, our volunteer shoppers found the traditional dinner did not see as
high of price spikes for most items as in other parts of the country. The
best plan of attack is to do comparison shopping to find the best deals
near you,” said Darleen Krisher-Meehan, chair of
New York Farm Bureau’s Promotion and Education Committee.
New York Farm Bureau’s
volunteer shoppers sampled prices at 21 different supermarkets throughout
the state between October 31 and November 8 trying to get the best prices
available, but they did not use promotional coupons or special deals such
as “buy one-get one free.” They were also encouraged to use online
shopping. The shopping list includes 15 common Thanksgiving food items
ranging from turkey and rolls to stuffing and celery to pumpkin pie mix, enough
to feed 10 people around the dinner table. An average
for miscellaneous ingredients, like flour and butter, is also included.
The best advice for shoppers
is to compare prices to save money look for store brands and stick to a
planned list. The numbers below reflect the overall average of the
volunteer shoppers and is not meant to be a true scientific survey, but
rather a snapshot of what shoppers may find leading up to the holiday.
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Market Basket Survey Comparison
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2021 Average
Price
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2020 Average
Price
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Frozen, Self-Basting Turkey 16 lb.
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$23.28
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$22.56
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Herb-seasoned cube stuffing 14oz.
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$2.29
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$2.84
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Enriched Brown & Serve Rolls 12
oz./12 per pkg.
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$3.05
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$3.09
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Gallon of Whole Milk
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$3.42
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$3.40
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Frozen Green Peas 16oz. pkg.
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$1.34
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$1.34
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Libby’s Pumpkin Pie Mix 30oz. can
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$3.69
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$3.38
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9 in. frozen pie shell
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$2.89
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$2.75
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Whipping Cream ½ pint carton
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$2.00
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$1.77
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Carrot/Celery Veggie Tray
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$.99
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$.87
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Sweet Potatoes 3 lb.
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$3.19
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$3.72
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Package of Fresh Cranberries
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$3.00
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$2.90
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Miscellaneous Ingredients
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$3.45
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$3.09
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Classic Thanksgiving Total
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$52.59
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$51.71
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Half Bone-in Ham, 4 lbs.
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$9.89
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$10.52
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Russet Potatoes, 5 lb. bag
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$3.35
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$3.28
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Frozen Green Beans, 16 oz. pkg
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$1.48
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$1.28
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Expanded Dinner Total Price
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$67.31
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$66.79
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Farm
Bureau does not make any statistical claims about the survey data, but it
is a useful gauge of price trends across New York and the country for
shoppers who look to compare prices.
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