Turkey business: Turkey prices to be lower than last year

There is no need to be in a fowl mood this holiday season.

Turkey prices are trending down, and local and national grocery stores say supply is good.

Abie Rampy is the director of public relations for national supermarket chain Albertsons. She said turkey prices this year are 20% lower than last year.

That is in line with a downward trend reported by the American Farm Bureau Federation. The data shows there was a spike in the price of turkey in 2022 — the birds cost $64 on average.

However, in 2023 prices started going back down. Rampy said Albertsons will continue that trend this year with its turkeys costing around $48.

Rampy said Albertsons was fully stocked and did not anticipate any transportation issues “barring a major multi-day weather event.”

Tricia Moriarty, a Walmart media representative, also said this year's turkey prices would be lower than last year.

Farm Bureau Federation Chief Economist Roger Cryan attributed the high prices in 2022 to “supply chain disruptions and the war in Ukraine,” according to a report on 2022 data from the farm bureau.

Moriarty said Walmart’s big holiday focus is less on selling the raw Thanksgiving ingredients and more on its in-store pre-made Thanksgiving meal.

“Walmart was the first to offer its Thanksgiving meal,” said Moriarty.

Fully prepared Thanksgiving meals will be available at Walmart through Dec. 25.

William Cookson is the store manager at La Montañita Co-op Food Market at 3500 Central SE. He said the co-op is also providing pre-made Thanksgiving meals this year.

"Our prices tend to be slightly higher than the big box stores, but we do have things that they do not sell," said Cookson, such as a focus on New Mexico produce and meat.

As a local grocer, Cookson said the co-op focuses on local, organic and free-range turkeys as well as doing turkey pre-orders so customers get exactly the size of bird they want.

Cookson said while he has to deal with New Mexico distribution problems like weather, he is not worried. Unless it's nationally out of stock, "we have got pretty good access," said Cookson.

That is because La Montañita Co-op Food Market is a partner of the National Co+op Grocers, a conglomerate that helps small grocers like La Montañita get similar access and the wholesale benefits that big box stores do.

"It's less than it was months ago, but it is still higher than normal," Cookson said of food prices.