Turkey is the main dish of the traditional Thanksgiving meal, as the National Turkey Federation estimates that about 88 percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving, which means more than 46 million turkeys are consumed on the fourth Thursday of November.
Turkey has become more popular in recent years, despite the growing interest in alternative and plant-based foods.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that the country produced over five billion pounds of turkey last year, and more than 4.8 billion pounds were consumed domestically.
The U.S. has kept a high turkey production, even with difficulties like the 2022 turkey shortage due to avian flu outbreaks and supply chain problems.
Also read: Here is how to avoid rush hours on Thanksgiving
In 2022, the average wholesale price for frozen whole turkey hens increased to $1.55 per pound, 32 cents more than in 2021. However, the American Farm Bureau Federation says that turkey prices are likely to go down this year because of increased production.
The average price of a turkey weighing 8 to 16 pounds was $1.27 per pound in August 2023, a significant 22 percent drop from the same month in 2022. As turkey production is increasing, the cost of each bird is expected to be cheaper than in the previous year.
Many people think that turkey has been part of Thanksgiving since the first celebration in 1621, but historical records suggest otherwise.
Thanksgiving in 2023 is on Thursday, November 23. It is important to know why the date changes every year for planning favorite family Thanksgiving traditions and maybe starting Christmas shopping early.
Thanksgiving always happens on the fourth Thursday of November, which means it can be from the 22nd to the 28th. This tradition started in the 1930s when, after two years of Thanksgiving being on the fifth Thursday, a law was passed in 1941, making it the fourth Thursday every November.
