Cost for Hoosier Thanksgiving Dinner Down in 2013

Thanksgiving prices down

Isabella Chism 2013Can you feed a family or group of 10 a traditional Thanksgiving meal in Indiana this year for less than $50 total? Yes you can according to the annual informal survey of grocery costs from Indiana Farm Bureau.

“It is pretty amazing and gives us plenty to be thankful for this year,” Isabella Chism, 2nd Vice President at IFB told HAT. “There are a lot of fast food restaurants we couldn’t go and get $5 meals, let alone safe, healthy $5 meals per person. I’m just amazed at that.”

She says this year’s cost represents a drop of almost $3 from last year, going from $51.05 to $48.12. And this is for a full meal with the traditional favorites including turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls and butter, peas, cranberries and a relish tray, coffee, milk and even pumpkin pie with whipped cream.

So what’s responsible for the cost reduction this year?

“There are some slight things we can look at like increased production of turkeys, but that increase wasn’t astronomical, so that’s not the difference,” Chism said. “I think it just takes a lot of little things together and I think a big part of that is our American farmers working hard and working smart, using technology wisely so that they maintain a safe and healthy food supply, because that’s what they feed their families as well.”

This annual survey of prices at the grocery store started back in 1986.

“Even though it’s not a scientific survey I think it’s good for us to keep our finger on the pulse of food prices, what we ourself see at the grocery store and what the average consumer sees at the grocery store. And by keeping the list the same over all of these years we get a little bit of a feel for what’s happening. Are we going up or are we going down. And it’s not really to figure out why. It’s to figure out what it’s costing us to feed a family and how much people are having to put out of their earned income in order to feed their families safe and nutritious food.”

For the survey a 16-pound turkey was $23.04 or $1.44 per pound, a decrease of 17 cents per pound and $2.72 overall.

And the good news includes plenty for leftovers from that $48.12.

AFBF had 167 volunteer shoppers who checked prices at grocery stores in 34 states this year and that included 18 shoppers who participated in IFB’s survey.

The following comparisons include the 2012 cost followed by the 2013 expense:

Turkey (16 lb.)           $25.76 $23.04

Stuffing (14 oz.)         $2.41   $2.62

Pumpkin pie filling mix (30 oz. can) $3.03   $3.07

Pie shell, 9 in. (2 per pkg.)     $2.38   $2.34

Sweet potatoes (3 lb.) $2.82   $2.97

Rolls (12 oz./12 per pkg.)      $1.99   $1.83

Peas (16 oz. pkg.)       $1.40   $1.40

Relish tray (1 lb. mixed carrots, celery)        $0.86   $0.83

Whole milk (gal.)       $3.02   $2.76

Cranberries (fresh, 12 oz. pkg.)         $2.36   $2.44

Whipping cream (½ pint)       $1.84   $1.62

Misc. ingredients (AFBF estimate)   $3.18   $3.20

TOTAL           $51.05 $48.12

Historical averages:

Year    Average

1993    $29.50

1994    $26.87

1995    $27.73

1996    $31.09

1997    $28.37

1998    $28.68

1999    $34.26

2000    $31.44

2001    $33.46

2002    $34.48

2003    $34.21

2004    $31.28

2005    $31.53

2006    $34.71

2007    $47.63

2008    $45.57

2009    $43.93

2010    $45.80

2011    $49.38

2012    $51.05

2013    $48.12

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