Cost of Thanksgiving dinner has gone up only slightly

Buying groceries for the annual Thanksgiving Day feast can be costly enough to send any shopper into a mad dash for the door. But, according to experts, the costs of feeding your family this year won't be any more cause for alarm than last year.

According to a recent survey by the Missouri Farm Bureau, the cost of feeding a family of 10 on Thanksgiving will be $34.45, up from last year's $32.18.

"It's true that consumers will pay more than last year," said farm bureau spokeswoman Diane Olson. "In light of the high energy costs farmers and ranchers face, as well as the disastrous weather in some regions of the country, it is amazing the increase is only moderate."

The sentiment jibed with monthly statements reported last week by the Labor Department showing that food costs had only edged up 0.3 percent in October, only a slight acceleration.

For the ninth year, Missouri Farm Bureau volunteers hit grocery store aisles, checking prices for 18 items commonly found at a Thanksgiving Day meal for 10 people. Prices were gathered based on a specific grocery list that included a 16-pound turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie mix, pie shells, sweet potatoes, rolls, peas, carrots, celery, milk, cranberries, eggs, butter, onions, coffee, sugar, flour, whipped cream and evaporated milk.

Prices near last year's

Olson said she realizes that consumers will say the Farm Bureau estimate will seem extremely low -- in fact, some customers in Cape Girardeau said they expected to spend more than $100 for Thanksgiving -- but she added that they factor in non-grocery items.

"Oftentimes, they like to base that on what they spend and not what they buy," she said. "They add in toilet bowl cleaner, toothpaste and paper towels. They grouse that they spent $50 and have nothing to eat, but they really didn't buy $50 worth of food. They bought $50 worth of stuff."

The slight increase can be attributed to fuel cost increases, because grocery stores rely on trucking in their goods, she said.

Economic experts also pointed to stiff local competition that keeps stores from risking big mark-ups.

"Grocery retailing is a very competitive business," said Dr. Bruce Domazlicky, director of the Center for Economic and Business Research at Southeast Missouri State University. "It's difficult to pass on the prices to the consumer without the fear that they'll go somewhere else."

Compared to 2004, turkey prices were up 7 cents per pound this year with the average cost at 86 cents per pound, the farm bureau said. Major price fluctuations affecting calculations occurred in coffee, up 56 cents for 13 ounces, and sugar, up 22 cents for a four-pound bag.

And Olson pointed out that Missouri's survey reflects that it's less expensive to buy groceries here than the national average. The American Farm Bureau survey showed that the basic dinner for 10 will cost $35.68.

Managers at Wal-Mart and Schnucks said that they believed their prices were comparable to last year and in some cases lower than last year.

Even shoppers with full carts weren't grumbling in a spot check Monday afternoon at a Cape Girardeau grocery store.

"It's not bad," Jodi Nesslein of Cape Girardeau said as she perused the fresh turkeys. "I'm not going to be sad about this. These prices are all right."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137