Farm group: Arizonans will pay 5% more for holiday dinners this year

Food inflation has risen in recent months, and it will make Thanksgiving dinners in Arizona more costly.

A typical market basket of Thanksgiving ingredients costs around 5% more this month compared to the same time last year, reported the Arizona Farm Bureau. Higher turkey prices drove most of the overall price increase.

Thanksgiving meals in Arizona will cost about $49.62 on average for a group of 10, the bureau said. Nationally, a similar basket of Thanksgiving ingredients will average around $53.31 for 10 people, up more than 7% from last year.

Along with turkey, prices for pumpkin pies and pie shells are also running higher this year in Arizona compared to 2020, but most of the 15 components exhibited price declines, according to the survey. That included lower costs for stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls, peas, whipping cream and vegetable trays.

On average, without factoring coupons or specials, consumers can expect to pay around $19.40 for a 16-pound turkey purchased in Arizona this month. That’s a jump from $14.08 last year.

The Arizona price estimates were gleaned from grocery-store visits conducted the week of Nov. 8. More information is at www.azfb.org.

Competitive grocery market in AZ

While turkeys are showing some of the largest percentage price increases, many grocery stores are offering discounts, said Julie Murphree, outreach director for the Arizona Farm Bureau. “When we price, we’re pricing prior to store specials,” she said.

Arizona food prices might be lower than the national figures partly because of a highly competitive grocery landscape here, Murphree said. Also, the national survey was broader than the Arizona study, including information from all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

To make a proper annual comparison, the Arizona study includes similar food items as used in the survey for the past two decades.

Impact on Arizona agriculture

Arizona farmers and ranchers produce most of the ingredients included in traditional Thanksgiving meals. Even roses, sometimes used for holiday centerpieces, are grown in Arizona, the farm group noted.

“You may be seeing a higher price in certain food groups in your local grocery store, but the costs to produce those items has increased exponentially including fuel and transportation costs,” said the Arizona Farm Bureau’s president, Stefanie Smallhouse, a cattle rancher, alfalfa and specialtycrop farmer in Pima County.

“And because of the complexities of our food system, the average farmer is not generally getting more money for their product,” she added.