Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski /
Deli worker Alma O’Donald at Imler’s Poultry sets out fresh turkeys in display case.
<!–
With inflation raising the price of goods across the board, shoppers won’t necessarily gobble up savings this Thanksgiving, but costs for the main course won’t be as high as last year.
“There’s been a big collapse in retail prices for turkey,” said Michael Swanson, chief agriculture economist with Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute. “Store prices for the 10- to 15-pound turkey, typically the star of the holiday dinner, have dropped 13% in October compared to the same month last year.”
The drop in turkey prices this year is due to a growth in production coupled with a drop in cases of the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak, which, along with inflation, pushed prices to record limits leading up to the 2022 Thanksgiving holiday.
In August, the average price for the 8- to 16-pound turkey typically served for Thanksgiving was $1.27 per pound, 22% lower than August 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That compares to last year when turkey was a record $1.72 per pound for an 8- to16-pound, frozen, Grade A, whole young hen, 20% higher than the previous year, according to USDA.
While turkey supplies have mostly recovered since the avian flu outbreak began, a USDA report shows turkey production is still about 6% lower than before the outbreak.
‘Supply seems good’
Imler’s Poultry of Duncansville begins preparing for the Thanksgiving season in late February and early March, said Marshall Detwiler, Imler’s turkey buyer.
Imler’s distributes turkeys throughout Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Maryland and West Virginia, with the most popular size between 14 and 20 pounds.
“There has not been much change in that over the years,” Detwiler said.
Prices are down a little from last year, he said, adding that, from talking to vendors, the “supply seems good.”
The best advice for customers, Detwiler said, is to place orders for fresh turkeys to ensure getting what you need. While there is no need to order a frozen turkey, buying early is a good idea to ensure getting the correct size.
Giant Eagle has a good supply of turkeys, said spokeswoman Jannah Jablonowski, and doesn’t expect any issues with availability.
The supply is better than the last few years, said Giant and Martin’s spokeswoman Ashley Flower.
“We start working on our turkey order early in the year to make sure we are set to meet the needs of our customers, and in fact, ordered more turkeys than last year, so we are confident in our supply,” Flower said.
Weis Markets also has a good supply of turkeys, and its prices have not gone up, spokesman Dennis Curtin said.
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.