Turkey is now a meat mainstay

WASHINGTON — Americans are stuffing themselves with turkey, and not just at the Thanksgiving table.

The typical American gobbles up nearly 14 pounds of turkey a year, more than double the consumption in 1970.

Whole turkeys dominate supermarket bins during the holidays, but the rest of the year they’re sliced and diced in dozens of ways, from tenderloins to cutlets, hot dogs to burgers.

Sherrie Rosenblatt, spokeswoman for the National Turkey Federation, said, "Consumers realize its nutritional benefit — high in protein and low in fat."

As consumption has increased, so has the number of turkeys being raised on U.S. farms. According to the federation, there were about 124 million in 1975. The number peaked at over 292 million in 1995 and now is an estimated 269 million — nearly one for every U.S. resident.

While there are fewer turkeys than in 1995, the birds are plumper. Turkeys in 1995 collectively weighed nearly 6.8 billion pounds. Today’s turkeys tip the scales at a combined weight of 7.4 billion pounds.

Despite its growing year-round popularity, turkey remains a staple for dinner on the fourth Thursday of each November — 95 percent of Americans will have some form of it today the industry group says.

Large or small, a whole frozen turkey costs roughly 99 cents per pound, while the average size bird bought for Thanksgiving dinner weighs about 15 pounds.

But Americans are paying a little more this year. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, a 16-pound bird costs $15.47, about 63 cents more than last year.

Blame it on limited beef supplies and strong consumer demand for meats in general, federation economist Robert Young said.

Add in the rest of the trimmings, like cranberries, pumpkin pie and sweet potatoes, and the total average cost for a Thanksgiving dinner to feed 10 people this year is $36.28, up $1.72 from last year.