Thanksgiving Turkeys Cost More Than Ever After Bird Flu Wipeout
- Farmers destroyed 8 million turkeys, and survivors weigh less
- Retail prices jump 21% as grocers compete for limited supply
Turkeys at a farm in Illinois.
Photographer: Daniel Acker/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
To make sure all 15 of the Busch’s Fresh Food Market stores had enough turkeys over 22 pounds (10 kilograms) to sell for Thanksgiving this month, meat buyer John Taormina began ordering in January. He didn’t end up with a single one of the big birds, which last year accounted for more than a third of what the Michigan company sold for the holiday.