Bird flu means your turkey dinner will cost more this Thanksgiving. Here’s what to know
The first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in the U.S. in a commercial poultry flock back in February. Since then, it has killed about 6.4 million turkeys, just about 2.9% of the country’s annual turkey production.
The bird flu is a virus carried by wild birds that’s very lethal to commercial poultry. The poultry industry, federal government and state governments have been working together to help reduce its spread.
“It’s definitely been a challenging time to be a turkey grower, to be a poultry farmer of any type, but I know that our members in the turkey industry are remaining vigilant and doing all that they can to keep their farms secure and their turkeys healthy,” said National Turkey Federation spokesperson Beth Breeding.
Farmers work to keep wild birds carrying the virus out of their barns, use enhanced biosecurity practices and employ additional sanitation methods.
While we have seen many cases this year and lost a significant amount of turkeys, we have not yet reached the levels that we saw in 2015, Breeding says. That year, we had the last large scale outbreak of the virus, losing 7.4 million turkeys, a little over 3.1% of annual production.
“This is definitely an evolving situation and one that we’re continuing to watch and want to make sure that we’re doing all that we can to prevent any further spread,” Breeding said.
With the compounded effect of the avian flu, inflation and higher operating costs for farmers, consumers are paying more at the grocery store. According to the USDA’s National Retail Report on turkey, a turkey averages $2.99 per pound, up from $1.69 last week and $1.59 this time last year.
Tips for turkey shopping
“Folks still want turkey. They’re still purchasing it and looking for it. More often than not, we have questions from folks who can’t find a specific turkey product right now, or maybe it’s not available in their local deli,” Breeding says.
Here are some tips from Breeding on how to deal with that:
Take advantage of grocery stores’ special deals and discounts on turkeys around the holidays.
If you aren’t able to find your preferred turkey brand, continue to check with your local grocery store about when it’ll be getting that product in.
If there is a specific weight or type of turkey that you want, start planning now and shop early.
Should you be worried about turkey contamination?
Turkeys and other poultry products that have this virus do not enter the food supply, Breeding says.
“Consumers do not have to worry about this. This is not a public health risk or a food safety risk. They should continue to properly cook and handle their food like they do,” she said.
While it is safe to eat poultry products, the USDA recommends cooking all poultry to an internal temperature of 165 degrees to kill bacteria and preventing cross-contamination between raw and cooked food.
How long will this last?
Will you have to do without turkey this Thanksgiving?
“For the holidays, we are not anticipating an issue with availability,” Breeding says. “Anybody who wants a turkey product should be able to find one.”
For the period from July 1 to September 30, production is forecast to be about 6% below the same period in 2021. The USDA projects turkey production will rebound close to previous year levels by Thanksgiving.
In 2023, U.S. consumers can anticipate greater availability of pork, chicken and turkey, according to the USDA’s latest report. Total poultry supply is projected to be 115.3 pounds per capita, up 1.2% from the year prior.
“We are aware that there are some product disruptions right now, but we really do anticipate those to be short-term,” Breeding said.
This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 10:48 AM.
