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NY Farm Bureau’s Annual Market Basket Survey Shows Cost
of Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner Up 26 Percent Over Last Year
Published: November 16, 2022
at 11:30 a.m.
By: Press Release from NY Farm Bureau
NY FARM BUREAU MARKET
BASKET SURVEY REVEALS
INFLATION CONTINUES
TO PUSH UP PRICE OF THANKSGIVING DINNER
Informal survey
reflects a nearly 26% price jump over 2021
New York Farm Bureau’s 2022
Market Basket Survey shows the price of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner
saw a double-digit price jump 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 $66.39, about a 26% increase over last year’s
price of $52.59.
Our volunteer shoppers found
turkey prices to be about $1.89 per pound in New York State, which is 43
cents per pound over last year’s average price in this informal survey.
This price is slightly above the national average of $1.81/lb. As
we move closer to Thanksgiving, turkey prices may drop in the
stores, reflecting sales in the final days before the holiday.
The New York numbers revealed
price increases over last year in nearly every category, except for fresh
cranberries which saw a 30-cent decrease. The most notable increases were
for stuffing mix, brown-and-serve rolls, and frozen pie crusts.
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
$82.16 or a 22% increase over last year’s number. New York shoppers found
bargains on hams compared to the national numbers, with a four-pound ham
costing $10.08 or $1.56 less than the national average.
There are several reasons for the increased costs of this
year’s meal. They reflect the continued supply and demand issues, higher
commodity prices because of the war in Ukraine, as well as the
increased costs for packaging and transportation. 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 marketing,
processing, and transportation of the food.
This dinner price represents the greatest increase since the
survey began more than three decades ago and will undoubtedly make it more
difficult for some families to afford a big holiday dinner. But it is
important to put the cost into context: at just under $6.64 per person for
a family of 10, New Yorkers still enjoy one of the most affordable food
supplies in the world.
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 37th annual
informal national price survey found the average national cost of this
year’s feast is $64.05, or $2.34 cents less than New York’s number.
That is in part attributed to the competitive nature of grocery store
markets and perhaps better promotional pricing in other regions of the country. More
information on the national survey can be found at www.fb.org.
“New Yorkers continue to face
challenges at the grocery store, but the supply of food remains strong in
this country thanks to our farmers and farmworkers who continue to produce
amidst their own price and labor challenges. The best plan of attack for
shoppers is to do comparison shopping to find the best deals near you. We
expect more people to purchase store brand and frozen food items
compared to years past because of the ongoing inflation,” 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 more than a dozen different
supermarkets throughout the state between October 18 – 30, 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 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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2022 Average
Price
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Frozen, Self-Basting Turkey 16 lb.
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$23.28
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$30.31
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Herb-seasoned cube stuffing 14oz.
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$2.29
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$4.03
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Enriched Brown & Serve Rolls 12
oz./12 per pkg.
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$3.05
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$4.42
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Gallon of Whole Milk
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$3.42
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$3.86
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Frozen Green Peas 16oz. pkg.
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$1.34
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$1.94
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Libby’s Pumpkin Pie Mix 30oz. can
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$3.69
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$3.87
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9 in. frozen pie shell
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$2.89
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$3.72
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Whipping Cream ½ pint carton
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$2.00
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$2.66
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Carrot/Celery Veggie Tray
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$.99
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$1.09
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Sweet Potatoes 3 lb.
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$3.19
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$3.66
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Package of Fresh Cranberries
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$3.00
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$2.70
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Miscellaneous Ingredients
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$3.45
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$4.13
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Classic Thanksgiving Total
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$52.59
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$66.39
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Half Bone-in Ham, 4 lbs.
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$9.89
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$10.08
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Russet Potatoes, 5 lb. bag
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$3.35
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$3.58
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Frozen Green Beans, 16 oz. pkg
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$1.48
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$2.11
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Expanded Dinner Total Price
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$67.31
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$82.16
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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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