Thanksgiving Turkeys Will Be More Expensive This Year

Plan to spend more on this seasonal staple.

Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock
Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock

It's been established that there will be food shortages this fall and winter due to supply chain issues and labor shortages. Everything from bacon, chicken, and turkey is projected to be more sparse on shelves. The scarcity isn't just going to cause issues with finding the items you need at the grocery store; it will also cause prices on some things to go up.

According to Consumer Reports, you can expect to pay anywhere from 10 to 15% more for your festive birds this holiday season. Supply chain issues, labor shortages, continuing COVID-19 related interruptions, and climate change-related grain feed shortages mean that the turkeys' production cost has increased.

"Some of that cost will ultimately go to the consumer," Anne-Marie Roerink, the founder of the grocery market research firm 210 Analytics, told Consumer Reports. "So while you likely won't have an issue finding a turkey for Thanksgiving, you're going to pay more than you're used to."

Like any year, getting the turkey you want, and not a giant frozen one you aren't equipped to cook, will take some prior planning. Consumer Report recommends buying early and contacting local turkey farms to source a fresh or small one. You'll probably still be paying a bit more than usual, but at least you won't be elbowing fellow shoppers out of the way for a turkey that will take forever to thaw.

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Opheli Garcia Lawler is a staff writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @opheligarcia and Instagram @opheligarcia.