By Chris Casey
Source: Food Dive
Consumers will spend more on the entire traditional Thanksgiving feast this year, with turkey costing about 23% more compared to 2021, according to a new report by Wells Fargo citing U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and USDA data.
While supply chain pressures remain, the main elements driving up the cost of Thanksgiving foods this year are disease and weather, according to Brad Rubin, sector manager for specialty crops.
This year’s avian influenza outbreak continues to tighten the supply of turkeys, which means less will be available than a typical Thanksgiving. Roughly 2.5% of the annual turkey population was lost in this year’s outbreak, according to a CoBank report in September. Rubin said this year’s bird flu was more severe than in the past.
