Purdue Prof Talks Turkey, Thanksgiving Meal Prices

Courtesy: Purdue Agricultural Communication photo/Tom Campbell

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The turkey on your plate will cost more this Thanksgiving, but the price of the rest of the food on the table will be stable, according to a Purdue University agricultural economist. Corinne Alexander says she expects turkey prices to be about 15-20 percent higher than last year.

"This price increase is much larger than typical as a result of the avian influenza outbreak that affected turkey flocks earlier this year," Alexander said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts wholesale prices for Eastern market whole turkey to be between $1.31 and $1.37 per pound this holiday season, compared with $1.14 last year.

Meanwhile, Alexander says there has been a 0.8 percent increase in grocery prices from September 2014 to September 2015 due to a slight increase to ample grain inventories and an expansion in livestock production. She says cranberry and potato prices will remain the same as last year.