Ky. Retail Federation explains why holiday food items are so expensive

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - If you have spent the past few days shopping for your Thanksgiving meal, you may have been shocked to see the bill at the end of your trip.

Experts say many of our holiday meal staples are some of the most expensive items in stores right now.

Grocery store parking lots are extremely full this week and shoppers we’ve talked with say it doesn’t seem to just be one item in the stores that’s more expensive. Every aisle they turn down, every price tag is more than it was this time last year.

Steve McClain, with the Kentucky Retail Federation, says there are a few different reasons for the high prices.

“Butter and dairy products have gone up in price,” McClain said. “Some of that has to do with on the agriculture and dairy side, their cost of feed and fertilizer has gone up 100 percent or more.”

There are also environmental factors, like droughts affecting produce such as potatoes, tomatoes and celery. There are labor shortages and supply chain issues still from the pandemic. Fuel costs are high. Even turkeys are in shorter supply after widespread avian flu this summer.

“Stores may hold off on discounting the price of turkey,” McClain said. “Or getting the canned goods six for $1, that kind of thing that we’ve seen in the past.”

McClain says, right now, experts believe we may start to see a decline in high prices after the new year.

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