A drop in the price for turkey is the leading reason why Hoosiers can expect to pay less for groceries to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year.
The annual Indiana Farm Bureau’s Thanksgiving market basket survey shows, Hoosiers can expect to spend approximately 10% less at the grocery store this Thanksgiving. According to this year’s pricing survey, the average cost for a Thanksgiving dinner for 10 this year, which includes 12 traditional food items, is $42.66 or $4.26 per person, which is about 10% cheaper than in 2018.
The INFB Thanksgiving market basket survey was conducted by volunteer shoppers across the state who collected prices on specific food items from one of their local grocery stores, the Indiana Farm Bureau said. Volunteer shoppers look for the best possible prices, without taking advantage of special promotional coupons or purchase deals.
The market basket price of $42.66 includes a 16-pound turkey, ingredients for stuffing and a pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, rolls, peas, a carrot and celery veggie tray, whole milk, cranberries, whipping cream and miscellaneous baking items such as eggs, sugar and butter.
The drop in turkey prices are due to rising wholesale prices, which leads to more competition between retailers seeking to lure in shoppers for other things they will need to prepare Thanksgiving dinner, the Indiana Farm Bureau said.
Last year, a 16-pound turkey cost $21.47 ($1.34 per pound), on average. This year, that same turkey should cost approximately $16.32 ($1.02 per pound), which is 24 percent cheaper than 2018.
Indiana’s survey is completed in conjunction with a national survey administered by the American Farm Bureau Federation. AFBF found that the national meal average for 10 people is $48.91 which is approximately 13% more than Indiana’s average meal price this year.
