California’s Thanksgiving Price Gap

If you are planning a full Thanksgiving spread in California this year, the California Farm Bureau says you will be paying more than most families across the country. The American Farm Bureau’s annual survey puts the cost of dinner for ten in California at about $73, compared to roughly $55 nationally and about $62 across the West.

A big part of that difference comes from the basics that anchor the meal. The survey’s 16 pound frozen turkey averages just under $30 in California, and the prices build from there.

At the same time, farmers receive only 15.9 cents of every food dollar, according to USDA. And California growers now shoulder 10.5 percent of all U.S. production expenses, the highest share in the country.

Still, the commitment holds. As Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass says, “California farmers and ranchers continue to provide high-quality food for families across the nation.”

Nationally, Thanksgiving costs are down five percent. Here, higher production costs tell the story.

To take a look at all of those staples and the prices associated, visit https://tinyurl.com/yk9b929k