This year’s Thanksgiving dinner will come with a hefty price tag, as double-digit food inflation drives up the price of everything from turkey to potatoes.
With all the ingredients: stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans, pumpkin pie, and beverages, a classic roast turkey dinner would cost a family of four, including leftovers, a total of $203.95.
It’s up about 12% from last year’s $181.75, according to figures compiled from Statistics Canada and grocery retailers.
Food inflation in August reached 10.8% year-on-year, the highest food price rise since 1981.
Some Canadians are responding to rising food prices by changing their menus to save money.
A new survey found that nearly a quarter of respondents plan to change their Thanksgiving meals due to rising food prices.
Sylvain Charlevoix, professor of food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University, said, “Canadians are compromising because of food inflation and rethinking their menu plans.
According to a survey by the school’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab conducted by Angus Reid on September 30, 22% of respondents said they would make changes to their Thanksgiving menu because of food costs.
feel a pinch
On the other hand, some Canadians may have trouble cooking a Thanksgiving meal together.
“The situation is very rough,” said Kirsten Beardsley, CEO of Canada’s food banks. I am pointing.”
Many food banks in Canada will provide furnishings for festive meals, she said.
But the challenge for food banks is that as demand for their services rises, some people in the community who may have donated in the past may feel burdened and may not be in a position to give as much. That’s it.
“Food banks have seen a significant drop in food donations during the pandemic,” she said. “We need more community support for Thanksgiving and the holiday season.”
Meanwhile, some Canadians are planning small celebrations this weekend to keep costs down on Thanksgiving. This is a difficult decision after two years of pandemic restrictions on large gatherings.
“Turkey is fairly expensive, so people looking to save money may prefer a larger piece of chicken,” said Abby Langer, registered dietitian and nutrition expert.
For bargain shoppers who find the turkey on sale, she said, the turkey can be reused for a few meals after Thanksgiving.
“If you’re making a large turkey, you can freeze some of the meat, boil the carcass to make a soup, or use the leftovers to make lots of other dishes,” Langer said.
Below, using figures from Statistics Canada, grocery retailers, and researchers, we present the estimated cost of items on a typical Thanksgiving dinner menu.
Turkey: 15%
Turkey is the main item on many Thanksgiving menus. But according to the Agri-Food Analytics Lab, prices are up about 15% this year compared to last year. Last year, a raw turkey was about $5.73 per kilo and a 6.5 kilo turkey was $37.25. This year, his one kilogram of fresh turkey costs about $6.59, while the same size bird costs him $42.84.
Potatoes: 10.9%
A year ago, a kilogram of potatoes cost about $1.39 and a 10-pound bag cost about $6.31. Today potatoes are about $1.54 per kilogram and the same bag of potatoes will cost him $6.99.
Butter: 16.9%
Butter prices have risen about 17% in Canada to $5.99 per pound (454 grams). A year ago, butter was about $5.11 per pound for him.
Raw vegetables: 9.3%
If you spent $40 on fresh vegetables and herbs last year, expect to pay close to $44 for the same basket of vegetables this year.
Bread: 17.6%
Stuffing and bread to accompany meals will be more expensive than last year. A loaf that was priced at about $2.54 last year now costs him $2.99.
Fruit: 13.2%
Fruit prices are up by double digits compared to last year. His 1.36-kilogram bag of apples to make a pie was about $5.29 last year, and now he’s $5.99.
A 340-gram bag of fresh cranberries that was about $2.64 last year is now $2.99.
Flour: 23.5%
Flour is likely on your shopping list if you plan to bake pies or make gravy. Last year, flour he was about $2.51 per kilogram, and a 5-kilogram bag was about $12.55. This year, the price of flour is about $3.10 per kilogram, so the bag costs $15.50.
Seasonings, spices, vinegar: 17.2%
If you spent $20 on condiments, spices, and vinegar last year, you can expect to pay about $23.50 this year.
Milk: 7.9%
The price of two liters of milk has risen from about $4.63 last year to about $4.99 today.
Egg: 10.9%
A dozen eggs cost about $4.99, up from $4.50 a year ago.
Ice cream: 7%
A two liter ice cream now costs about $6.99, compared to about $6.53 a year ago.
Sugar: 18.4%
A two-kilogram bag of sugar, which was about $2.52 a year ago, is now $2.99.
Coffee: 14.2%
A 340-gram coffee bag is now around $12.79, up from $11.20 a year ago.
Tea: 10.7%
A box of tea with 72 tea bags is now about $6.29, up from about $5.68 a year ago.
Wine: 5.7%
A bottle of wine that was priced at $15 last year is now about $15.86.
