The cost of turkey is climbing and supplies of Thanksgiving
staples are spotty as the holiday nears.
The rising price tag for produce, meat and more reflects a
host of factors. Inflation is rising. Shipping costs are up. Wages are rising
in a bid for workers.
The Consumer Price Index for food was up 4.6% from a year
ago in September, when the latest data was posted.
Turkey production is down 5% compared to last year, Texas
A&M AgriLife Extension Service reported. David Anderson, AgriLife Extension
livestock economist, wrote that both turkey numbers and pounds produced are at
the lowest point since 2015, a response to slipping demand.
Combined with price push from higher feed, fuel and labor
costs, the national wholesale average for whole hens is $1.35 per pound,
compared to $1.14 per pound this time last year.
Restaurants that traditionally provide Thanksgiving fare say
they are planning ahead.
Rob’s Restaurant in Brookville, Ohio each year serves
Thanksgiving food as well as takeout and catering orders, and to be prepared
catering manager Emily Hall had to contact all of her suppliers and buy ahead,
from turkeys to catering plates.
Hall said with planning they will be ready to serve that
day, and are almost fully booked on reservations with some additional tables
for call-ahead seating.
“My suppliers are doing everything that they can in their
power. It’s basically just being very proactive on what we’re expecting, and
ordering ahead,” Hall said.
The Florentine restaurant in Germantown is hosting its usual
reservation-required Thanksgiving Day buffet, made possible by buying what they
need early. General Manager Brenda Blevins said trouble ordering items started
before Thanksgiving, with no E.T.A. on when many items will be back.
“Normally we don’t start buying until around now, but we’ve
been buying since the first part of October,” Hall said.
If Thanksgiving is a time of year when you don’t just feast
with family but also donate to food drives, keep in mind that some foodbanks
around the U.S. report that the rising costs of goods are hurting their ability
to provide for members while also surging demand for free meals.
A foodbank in Dayton reported that because they get so much
food in-kind and other avenues than retail, the rising costs have not at this
time translated to any major impact their ability to serve.
Lee Lauren Truesdale, chief development officer, said they
noticed an increase in the cost of turkeys when they recently bought some, but
they overall haven’t been majorly affected.
“That’s not to say in the future — the near future probably
— we won’t see some prices increase in the bulk items that we purchase. But we
just purchase such a minimal amount of food every year that we just haven’t
quite seen that affect us yet,” Truesdale said.
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