WASHINGTON, D.C. — With Thanksgiving on Thursday, your grocery cart might feel a little heavier this year — not from the food, but from the price tag.
The U.S. turkey population is at its lowest level in nearly four decades — about 195 million birds — after multiple outbreaks of avian disease. Less supply means higher costs, potentially upwards of 40 percent, according to the USDA.
However, no major turkey shortages are expected, and many stores are rolling out discounted turkeys to lessen the blow.
Turkey might not be the only thing taking a bite out of your Thanksgiving budget. Tariffs on imported steel are raising the cost of canned goods. It’s difficult to pinpoint one culprit for rising food costs, but experts say it’s a concerning trend they’re trying to address.
“Food has increased in cost by nearly 30% just in the last five years,” said Jessica Christiansen, head of communications for Bayer Crop Science. “Food as a whole keeps going up. That’s what we’ve really got to work to rally around as our communities and as Americans to help combat.”
This year, higher costs could be attributable to a long list of factors: avian flu, tariffs and anything that helps get food from the farm to your table, like fuel.
“We’re still dealing with the aftershocks of COVID. Diesel is still very high even though it’s trickling down a little bit,” said Mike Kucharski, vice president of JKC Trucking. “If diesel goes down, your price of goods will go down.”
Politically, lawmakers say the outlook isn’t all doom and gloom. House Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson says this year’s prices aren’t expected to swing too wildly.
“As normal — the truth is somewhere in the middle,” said Rep. Thompson, R-Pa. “There are some things, the costs have gone up, not necessarily trade related. It could be feed related, transportation related — all food needs to be transported.”
“Using tariffs as a tool, you don’t have any other tools when it comes to providing free and fair trade. I think the president has done a pretty good job with that,” Thompson said. “There’s still work to do. We’re not realizing maybe all the benefits right now, but in the intermediate, long term, I think it’s going to pay good dividends for consumers and for farmers and ranchers.”
If headed to the store this week, expect a little turkey sticker shock — but also some deals — and a reminder that everything from disease outbreaks to diesel can determine what your holiday dinner costs.
