Turkey Talk and Sticker Shock

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I am pretty confident we are stocked up on all the supplies necessary to create a culinary feast for 16 hungry pilgrims. And let me just tell you, I am not going back out into the retail battlefield if I am missing an ingredient.

Over the weekend, I braved—or rather survived—the trip to the grocery store, but it wasn’t easy. Not only was it necessary to use the grocery cart as a defensive weapon, but it also helped prop me up as I watched the cash register tick higher and higher. (The trip to the local spirits store wasn’t much better).

I write about food and food prices every day, so I wasn’t quite sure why my final bill made me choke on a proverbial wishbone. My basket was mostly loaded with organic, natural and gourmet items that carry a higher price-point, but my family and friends are worth it (most of the time).

Rising food costs has been a hot-button discussion lately. According to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), global food prices remain at near record highs. The UN’s Food Price Index, which measures monthly price changes in a basket of foods including cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar, averaged 231 points in August—26% higher than the same time last year. The latest figures from the FAO estimates food prices will remain “extremely volatile," moving in tandem with unstable financial and equity markets. Fluctuations in exchange rates and uncertainties in energy markets are also contributing to sharp price swings in agricultural markets.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the cost to feed a family of 10 a classic home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings will cost $49.20—a 13% increase over last year. The cost of a 16-pound turkey, at $21.57, was the big ticket item, jumping 25 cents per pound to $1.35 per pound compared to 2010. I glared at my 26-pound free-range organic bird that cost $3.49 per pound and just shook my head. Yup, the bird alone cost $90.74—that’s $41.54 more than AFBF’s estimate for the entire meal. Sigh.

This year, I am thankful for my family and friends who voted to divvy up the menu to make things easier (and less expensive) for everyone. All I have to do is get the house ready, roast the turkey, concoct my famous green chile cheese mashed potatoes and bake up a batch of tasty homemade rolls. Three other families are bringing the sides, appetizers and oh-so famous pies, including apple cranberry sour cream and America’s No. 1 favorite—pumpkin pie.

I don’t want to think of the cumulative food and beverage bills between the four households, but I can tell you it’s way more than the $49.20 projected by the AFBF. Let’s hope I don’t burn that $90 turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving and Cheers