According to a Cargill study, 8 of 10 respondents surveyed purchased a whole turkey for their Thanksgiving celebration.
Hunts Kabat, President of Cargill North America Protein Business, stated, “Americans hold onto the belief that a whole turkey should be the centerpiece of a Thanksgiving meal with family and friends.” Cargill considers that in 2023, purchase of whole turkeys reversed a trend towards turkey parts including breasts. This may, in part, have been due to the reluctance of families to gather during the COVID period.
The Cargill study is supported by the November 2023 USDA Cold Storage Report. Hen carcasses in storage decreased 24.8 percent during October 2023 compared to the previous month of September to 72.2 million pounds on October 31st 2023. Although this figure was only 0.3 percent lower than on October 31st 2022, the draw down of hen carcasses confirmed seasonal demand in anticipation of Thanksgiving. During October 2023, 20.3 million young turkeys were processed representing a 5.7 percent increase over October 2022.