Inflation is driving up the cost of your Thanksgiving dinner

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Due to supply chain issues and inflation, Thanksgiving meals are more expensive. That’s why Feeding Northeast Florida and the Jacksonville Jaguars hosted their annual turkey time distribution.

Tons of Jax locals lined up over 2 hours in advance for this year’s turkey-time distribution. Just take a look at this crowd turnout. There are two lines full of people waiting to get a turkey and all the other fixings that’ll help make a Thanksgiving dinner complete.

Action News Jax Sky Vision drone is giving you a look at some of the 600 cars that lined up for a Thanksgiving turkey and more. A line that captures how inflation is affecting Thanksgiving this year.

“Sweet potato pie, potato salad, collard greens, ham, turkey. Hey, whatever God blesses me with,” says Cynthia Kellog.

According to The American Farm Bureau Federation, a Thanksgiving dinner for a family of 10 is up 20% costing $64.05. Last year it was $53.31.

“I came out because I didn’t have a turkey and I wanted a turkey and I heard you guys were giving them out and I said hey, we’re going to get here early to get a Thanksgiving dinner and you all did it,” says Rosemary Ricks.

Take a look at this chart from The American Farm Bureau Federation. It shows all the Thanksgiving items that cost more this year like cranberries, yams and boxed dressing. You can see number one on the list is a turkey.

The price of a 16-pound turkey is almost $30 ($28.96). That’s up 21% from 2021!

Another reason it might be costly and hard for you to complete your Thanksgiving meal. The U.S. government says there’s a turkey shortage this year, particularly in Turkeys that weigh 20 pounds or more. Right now, there’s a continuous outbreak of avian flu otherwise known as bird flu.

It’s a severe poultry disease that is highly contagious and can be deadly to chickens.

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