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Thanksgiving will be different for many this year and turkey demand may reflect that

Posted at 9:33 AM, Nov 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-11 16:45:18-05

Thanksgiving may not have all the fixings this year. Most Americans are planning a scaled back event.

But 75% of people told Butterball they plan to have a turkey the same size this year, as last year.

“If you're looking for a smaller turkey, I would recommend shopping early to get what you want,” said Andrea Balitewicz, Butterball Turkey Talk-Line Supervisor.

While many people are looking for some normalcy this Thanksgiving, 30% are hosting immediate family only.

Butterball says there will also be more first-time hosts.

“But there's also other products available like our turkey breast roasts, which are perfect for just a couple of people, or you can find the bone in turkey breast and that's a really great product too, and it's some for about six to seven people. So, it's a great product for smaller celebrations.”

Butterball is planning the same offerings as usual. About half its turkeys will be in the 10-16 pound range. The other half in the 16-24 pound range.

Walmart says it will have 30% more turkey breasts for those that don't want to cook a whole bird, even though they will have plenty of those.

Kroger bought more turkeys than usual. It's predicting an increase in demand for alternatives.

Turkey sales have been falling in general, according to Nielsen data. Last November they were down 3.5% from the year before. Sales for beef and plant-based meat were up.