All the holiday orders are now paying off at retail as consumers head to stores, make online orders and load up to prepare Thanksgiving dinner.
Those consumers are seeing the lowest retail prices for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in eight years.
According to the annual American Farm Bureau Federation survey, the average cost of the meal for 10 is $48.90, a 22-cent decrease from last year and the lowest since 2010.
According to the story, “Foods showing the largest decreases this year in addition to turkey, were a gallon of milk, $2.92; a 3-pound bag of sweet potatoes, $3.39; a 1-pound bag of green peas, $1.47; and a dozen rolls, $2.25. Several items saw modest price increases this year including cranberries, pumpkin pie mix and stuffing. A 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries was $2.65; a 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix was $3.33; a 14-ounce package of cubed bread stuffing was $2.87; two nine-inch pie shells came in at $2.47; and a 1-pound veggie tray was $.75.”
A check on other popular fresh produce holiday items shows a mix of tight supplies and abundance, courtesy of Markon’s weekly Fresh Crop Report.
Apples: prices are steady and new crop supplies are plentiful and high quality.
Avocados: high prices continue as the market adjusts to the recent grower strike in Mexico. Limited supplies can be found from Chile, Peru and California.
Celery: holiday demand is pushing prices up as California growers battle some disease problems.
Grapes: supplies from California are strong and high quality.
Green beans: strong holiday demand is pushing prices up as supplies are tighter than normal due to hurricane problems in the Southeast and Mexico.
Potatoes: even with stronger holiday demand, there are plenty of potatoes from all growing areas to fill it.
Strawberries: supplies are light from California and Mexico, which will keep prices up into mid-December.
