Good Question: Will There Be A Thanksgiving Turkey Shortage?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Across the country, about five million turkeys have been affected by the avian flu. Four million of those were in Minnesota.
So, with the loss of so many birds, will there be a shortage at Thanksgiving? Good Question.
"For the consumers, it's a small percentage of the turkeys produced in the state," said Steve Olson, executive director of Minnesota Turkey Growers Association. "We don't expect this to have a major impact either in the availability of turkey or the price of turkey."
The turkeys that have died or been killed since March make up 8 percent of Minnesota's turkey market. Nationally, it's closer to 2 percent. Much of the negative impact has fallen on the shoulders of the turkey farmers.
"As I talk to people, this is unlike anything we've ever seen before," Olson said.
Last year, one-fifth of the 240 million turkeys grown in the U.S. came from Minnesota. About 70 percent went to deli meats, ground turkey or hot dogs. The other 30 percent went to whole birds, mostly for the holidays. Olson said most grocery stores actually consider turkeys loss leaders, which means they sell them for less to get people in the door.
It takes 12 to 15 weeks to grow a Thanksgiving bird, also known as a light hen. Many of those birds have already been grown for the season and are now frozen in cold storage.
Olson also points out that any domestic turkey loss might be offset by foreign bans on American turkeys. The 12 to 13 percent of the market that would normally go overseas will now stay in the U.S.
"Turkey meat and other poultry products are safe to eat, as long as they are handled and cooked property," said Pauline Van Nurden, a UMN Extension Educator, when discussing the foreign bans. "Consumers should not be worried about that."