Our Affordable Food Supply

The $4.29 Thanksgiving Dinner
Posted by Brad Tuttle TIME Magazine
Monday, November 23, 2009 at 10:48 am

We're not talking about using coupons or tricks to throw together a random cheapie meal. We're talking about the typical Thanksgiving feast, with turkey, cranberry sauce, rolls, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

The American Farm Bureau (spotted via Consuming Interests, thanks) says that because prices have come down on certain foods, including turkey and milk, Thanksgiving dinner should be 4% cheaper than last year. In 2009, the average cost for a Thanksgiving dinner that feeds ten is $42.91, or about $4.29 a person. Last year, the average meal for ten was $44.61, $1.70 more expensive.

The price decrease is nice. But what stands out to me is that the day we gorge and eat and pass out and unbuckle our belts and eat some more isn't that expensive, even before food prices dropped. All you have to do is cook at home and your meals will be reasonably priced. It's as simple as that. Even if you occasionally go all out with an expensive piece of meat, cooking at home is still way cheaper than going out to eat, even at restaurants we all consider cheap.

As Jim Sartwell, an American Farm Bureau economist, says of the home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner:

Again this year, the cost per person for this special meal is less than a typical "value meal" at a fast-food outlet.

Think about that the next time you're pulling up to the drive-thru. Link

No where else on the planet can you feed so many people such a fantastic meal at such an affordable price. This is something we should be proud of, not ashamed of like some of our famous food elitists in the country try to tell you. We continue to produce this abundant, affordable food supply all the while maintaining the safest food supply in the world, growing it on less land and with less environmental impact. It’s an incredible story to tell and one that I am proud to be part of.