Americans Expected To Have Scaled-down Thanksgivings

Sunday, November 1st, 2020 -- 8:18 AM

Millions of Americans are expected to have scaled-down Thanksgiving celebrations amid the pandemic, heeding official warnings against travel and large indoor gatherings.

According to the Associated Press, that leaves anxious turkey farmers and grocers scrambling to predict what people will want on their holiday tables.

Butterball which typically sells 30% of America’s 40 million Thanksgiving turkeys said it’s expecting more gatherings, but it’s not convinced people will want smaller turkeys. Its research shows that 75% of consumers plan to serve the same size turkey or a larger turkey than they did last year.

Turkey sales have even been falling at Thanksgiving as consumers explore alternatives, according to Nielsen data. Last November, Americans spent $643 million on turkey, down 3.5% from the previous year. They spent $1.9 billion on beef, which was up 4%. And they spent $12 million or more than double the prior year on alternatives like plant-based meat.

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