Thanksgiving dinner may cost a little more thanks to severe weather events across the United States
Severe weather drives up produce prices ahead of Thanksgiving
Stew Leonard, owner of Stew Leonard’s Supermarkets, joined FOX Weather Thursday morning to explain how recent severe weather events have increased product prices that will have an impact on Thanksgiving meals this year.
We’re just over a week away from Thanksgiving, and many Americans across the United States are finalizing their grocery lists to stock up on food for their holiday meals. But with so many crops and other food sources affected by extreme weather events, you may need to dig a little deeper into your pockets this year.
The Stew Leonard’s supermarket chain in the Northeast and New England sells more than 20,000 turkeys, 55,000 pies and 10,000 pounds of mashed potatoes each year. Stew Leonard himself joined FOX Weather last week to explain how important weather is to food prices.
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“Weather affects food all the time,” he said. “I mean, if the seas are rough, we see lobster prices going up and some of our fish prices going up. Weather is critical to food prices, and we’ve seen some things happen this year.”
FILE – Brussels sprouts for sale at Trader Joe’s Upper East Side Bridgemarket grocery store in New York, U.S., Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. The century-old domed market under the Queensboro Bridge reopened Thursday as a Trader Joe’s. Photographer: Jenna Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty Images)
Leonard said Hurricane Hillary’s impact on California led to higher prices for artichokes and Brussels sprouts. Harsh weather in Georgia has sent green bean prices soaring.
“So, the weather does have a little impact on Thanksgiving meal prices,” he said.
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FILE – A turkey cooked in a roasting pan with a meat thermometer during preparation of a traditional American Thanksgiving meal, San Ramon, California, November 23, 2019. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
One thing that hasn’t been affected by severe weather events this year are turkeys.
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“We’re fine with the turkeys,” Leonard said. “The turkeys will be about the same price as last year. You know, some people will sell them a little lower, some people will sell them a little higher.”
