With record high inflation, Americans are struggling to keep up with the higher costs of everything from gas to groceries. That means this year, Thanksgiving might be trimmed when it comes to the usual big family meal and celebration. According to a study by Personal Capital, an online wealth management company, one in four Americans say they’re skipping Thanksgiving because they can’t afford the holiday meal this year. Another third One say they’re a hosting a smaller dinner due to higher food prices. And a whopping 88% are cutting at least one dish from their table to make ends meet. This year, turkey costs 20 percent more than it did in 2021. Experts say the biggest factor driving up those prices, a bird flu that hit in the spring. “About five percent of total national production has been taken offline because of Avian influenza,” said Jayson Lusk of Purdue University. “So, you remove birds from the market and that pushes up prices for food consumers.”
People are turning to ham, fish, or even pasta,” said one consumer. The Department of Agriculture reports that food prices have jumped 13 percent between September 2021 and 2022. It is an issue affecting not just families but local foodbanks as well. “Food costs have gone up dramatically for foodbanks,” Christopher Tan of the Foodbank of South-eastern Virginia and The Eastern Shore said in an interview with CBN News. Tan said “The cost of shipping and of products have gone up significantly, almost to the point of we’ll pay more for shipping than the actual product.” Tan said his organization began ordering turkeys back in June. “We knew that the supply chain issue would be a potential problem. And we’re still not getting the amount that we would have probably liked. There isn’t enough out there,” he explained. Tan also says that as grocery costs have increased so has the number of families seeking help.
“Inflation has caused many people to come to us for the first time,” Tan commented. “We see a lot more working families who are working and employed but their food budgets have drastically increased and so they’re using the foodbank as a way to supplement that budget.” To help struggling families, the supermarket chain Aldi is rolling its Thanksgiving prices back to 2019 costs. “We expect to welcome tens of millions of customers in our stores this Thanksgiving season, and we want them to know they can count on us,” Dave Rinaldo, President of Aldi said in a statement. “So why not attempt that additional side dish this year or invite over a few more friends or family members.” Despite the tight economic times, some are choosing to be thankful no matter the costs. “We know that the economy is high, but we’ve got to be thankful, said Carlton Griffin of Norfolk, VA. “Thankful for health and strength and having a job, having a family, just to be alive.”
Source: CBN News
Print This Post
Comments are closed