Missourians will spend more money on their Thanksgiving Day meals than the average American, according to data gathered by the Missouri Farm Bureau.
Based on this year's survey, it costs $50.52 in Missouri to prepare a Thanksgiving meal for 10 people, or $5.05 a person, that contains the following:
- One 16-pound turkey
- Cubed stuffing
- Sweet potatoes
- Fresh cranberries
- Peas
- Brown-and-serve rolls with butter
- Carrot and celery sticks
- Milk and coffee
- Two pumpkin pies with real whipped cream
The Farm Bureau's Diane Olson says the national average came in this year at $49.41, or $4.94 per person.
"There were a few items that (Missouri was) less on, some that the (rest of the country) were less on," Olson said, "so on average it's really a good meal for that price."
Olson says the culprit for Missouri's higher price tag was not the turkey, but dairy products.
"All three of the dairy products that we're utilizing – a gallon of whole milk for beverage, a half-pint of whipped cream for the topping for our pumpkin pies, and then a half-pound of butter for the brown-and-serve rolls – those prices were all up from last year," Olson said. "They were all higher than the national average."
Olson says although production is good right now, there's also a great demand for dairy products globally.
The Farm Bureau survey also shows the average price for turkey in Missouri is $1.24 cents a pound, which is less than the national average of $1.35 a pound.
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