Spike in price of turkey, staples stinging at grocery store

Nov. 23—Peter Frederick summed up the current runaway inflation with a single sentence.

"Last week, I was in (the grocery store) and I saw they had eggs — one dozen eggs, $8.50," Frederick said with astonishment. "I thought if I looked behind them, they've got to have a gold streak. I'm an old farm boy — I should've stayed on the farm.

"I'm sure there's a lot of people having problems," he added. "I feel sorry for these people."

Indeed, carving a turkey will be a costly proposition this Thanksgiving in Terre Haute and throughout the country, with double-digit percent increases in the price of turkey and other staples. A particularly deadly strain of avian flu — first reported on a turkey farm in Indiana in February — claimed the lives of 49 million turkeys and other poultry, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Wholesale turkey prices are at record highs as a result.

Even the war in Ukraine is cited as a contributor to the price jump, as resulting sanctions against Russia have disrupted exports from the region for commodities like food, oil and gas.

A study by Usko, an app that analyzes a user's Amazon spending, determined that Indiana's corn pudding (which requires cream cheese, butter, creamed corn, cornmeal, cheese and milk), has seen an increase of 9.55% over last year, making it the 34th highest increase of all Thanksgiving dishes nationwide.

Food vendors are particularly feeling inflation's pinch, with small food-centric businesses bracing for a difficult season. Government estimates suggest food prices will jump as much as 10.5% this year; historically, they've risen only 2% annually.

At one grocery store in Terre Haute, frozen whole turkeys were selling for $1.69-$1.99 per pound, while fresh whole turkeys went for $2.20-$2.40 per pound. Whole hams varied from $3.49-$5.69 per pound. A whole goose was $5.99 a pound.

Nancy Kelly, who will share a meal with 15-20 family members, said inflation has affected her "greatly. It's very expensive, everything. Everybody's pitching in — all family members are doing a little bit of this, a little bit of that. So no one person is doing everything, because it's just too much."

Gary Shepard accepts the higher prices with a sense of resignation.

"You've got to eat — I just go in and buy it and pay for it and head on down the road," said Shepard.

Rising prices have affected Kelly McGlone and her family in a different way.

"We are trying to help people more," McGlone said. "I've donated a little bit more to charity this season and for Veterans Day, we helped out some veterans. So we're thankful to be able to do that."

Mark Whitehead, the owner of Ambro's OMG Bar and Grill, said he's been "affected big time" by inflation. "Every week, the bill goes up for the same amount of food," he reported, adding that in the six months his restaurant has been open, he's had to print three different menus to reflect new prices. He offered a handful of shocking examples:

—A case of a handful of heads of Romaine lettuce costs $91.

—Four bags of salad mix are $57.

—To-go containers have doubled in price.

Nonetheless, Ambro's will be open for Thanksgiving. After a meal for employees from noon to 3 p.m., Thanksgiving dinner will be available from 4 to 7 p.m. for those who can't afford to prepare an elaborate meal. A plate with turkey or ham with all the fixings and pie will cost $12.99.

"I'm ... making nothing on that," Whitehead said. "I'm giving back to the less fortunate."

Asked how inflation has affected her restaurant, Saratoga owner Cathy Azar said, "How much time do you have?"

More seriously, she added, "Some things triple in price within a week's time. Every aspect of the business has gone up. It's crazy right now."

Azar has friends who are fellow restaurateurs that she commiserates with. "Everyone's struggling."

As inflation has worn on through the year, the Saratoga has only changed it prices twice. "That doesn't mean we don't need to change it more," Azar said. "We're trying desperately to be creative with our specials. It's a struggle."

Still, pricier menu items aren't keeping customers away.

Azar said, "We're busy, business is good, but fighting inflation is a daily struggle."

David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.