Christopher Walljasper and Tom Polansek

CHICAGO (Reuters). Thanksgiving dinner this year will run Americans an average 14% higher, in what is the largest annual rise in 31 years. The American Farm Bureau Federation reported that shoppers could still get deals in grocery shops.

U.S. consumers are being squeezed by rising gas and food prices as the pandemic threatens global supply chains. The economic drag caused this summer’s COVID-19 epidemic is slowly disappearing.

Farm Bureau represents U.S. agriculture and points out that inflation and supply-chain disruptions have caused the Thanksgiving dinner average to cost $53.31 per person, up from $46.90 in 2020 (10 years ago). Farm Bureau shoppers checked the prices of turkey, cranberries and dinner rolls in their local stores between October 26th to November 8.

Sherry hooker, a retired woman aged 69, said that “the cranberry sauce and the stuffing have gone up”, as she shopped at Jewel-Osco in Chicago on Thursday.

GRAPHIC: Thanksgiving dinner price jump https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-THANKSGIVING/MEAL/akvezmyrxpr/chart.png

According to the Farm Bureau, it has been difficult for consumers to forecast demand due to COVID-19, which led to higher prices. The average price of turkey is $1.50 per kilogram, which represents a 24% increase over 2020, according to Farm Bureau.

The overall price of the meal has increased 6.6% without turkey. This is consistent with the 6.2% rise in the U.S. Consumer Price Index for October. It was the largest annual increase since November 1990. However, it’s a little higher than the 5.4% increase year-over-year for the Labor Department measure of food costs at home.

According to Farm Bureau data, Thanksgiving expenses are now up for the first year since 2015. They’re also 7% more than last year.

Cinda Shaver (62), from Chicago said that she spends $120 per week on shopping for her two friends at Aldi discount supermarket. This is an increase of $90 for similar items previously.

The holiday season is still a good time to be a cook, but you can still get deals for your kitchen.

Reuters visited two supermarkets on Thursday and found that prices varied widely. At a Big Y supermarket in Newtown Connecticut, the same item basket was only $40.11. This includes frozen turkey at 99 cents a pound.

Jewel-Osco Chicago sold frozen turkeys of generic brands for 49 cents per pound.

Farm Bureau stated that its customers checked the prices two weeks prior to most grocery chains offering whole-frozen turkeys at lower prices. Farm Bureau stated that from Nov. 5- 11, the per-pound average sale price of whole frozen turkeys was $1.07. This dropped to 88cs between Nov. 12- 18.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack stated that “The Good News is that top turkey producers are certain that everybody who wishes to have a Thanksgiving bird will be able get one and that a large one won’t cost $1 more than last years,” in a statement.

Based on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, prices for staples used in Thanksgiving are up about 5%. The prices for a 12 pound turkey, sweet potatoes and russet potatoes, as well as cranberries, were tracked by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Hooker is one of those people who will not be cutting back on the Thanksgiving dinner because of high costs. Hooker said that she would “bite the bullet” and continue to have traditions.

“It happens once every year,” she stated.