A spot-check of grocery store prices across the country says the cost of materials for Thanksgiving dinner is nearly unchanged for the fourth year in a row. The American Farm Bureau Federation says its volunteer shoppers found the ingredients for a traditional holiday meal would cost, on average, $49.41 for enough to feed 10 people, an increase of 37 cents from a year ago. John Anderson, chief economist for the farm group, said a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal would cost less than $5 a person, “less than the cost of most fast-food meals.”
The farm group has conducted its survey annually since 1986 and uses the same shopping list, including a 16-pound turkey, 3 pounds of sweet potatoes, a pound of peas, stuffing and material for a pumpkin pie. The inaugural survey showed a price of $26.74 for the items.