Inflation has caused Americans’ grocery spending to significantly rise this year and now the increase in prices is also making one of the country’s favorite meals that much more expensive. According to the American Farm Bureau, the price of a ten-person Thanksgiving dinner increased by more than 20% compared to 2021.
It is the second year in a row that steep inflation has made the cost of a standard Thanksgiving dinner sting. In late 2021, inflation first peaked as supply chain issues and other lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic caused prices to shoot up. Last year, Americans already had to shell out around 14% more for their turkeys, stuffing, cranberries and pumpkin pie ingredients, a steep departure from the slow increases (and sometimes even decreases) in the price of the meal in previous years.
According to the annually released data, the price of a turkey—the costliest item on every Thanksgiving shopping list—was in line with the dinner’s overall cost inflation of 20%. This rate was surpassed by rolls, pie crusts, whipping cream and green peas, which all increased in price by between 22% and 27%. The item with the biggest price increase was stuffing, which now costs $3.88 on average for a 14-ounce box, up almost 70% from last year.
Source: Forbes