Millions of Americans are gearing up for Christmas, with many planning to spend time with loved ones and cook meals for the holiday.
Nearly three-quarters of American consumers who celebrate Christmas have plans to gather with family and friends, and 33% will have people, follow Numerator survey. It also found 61% intend to cook or bake at their home for the holidays.
With Christmas is fast approachingmany of those planning to cook are likely preparing their grocery lists – and pocketbooks – for the occasion. Overall, Christmas treats and gingerbread, popular holiday treats, will be more expensive in the US this year thanks to popular ingredients experiencing year-over-year price increases, Expana reports.
The commodity data provider said it found prices for main meals - measured by the Main Food Index as part of its Christmas Dinner Index - jumped 2.3% from last year. It looks at turkey, pork, beef, shrimp, lamb, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and turnips.
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The price increase was "largely driven by higher prices for pork, lamb, shrimp and some vegetables," according to the Expana report.
All meats tracked by Expana for the Major Food Index other than turkey increased compared to last year. Cost a 16-pound frozen turkey showing a 13.7% decline from last November, coming in at $1.07 per pound on average, it found.
The price per pound for boneless leg of lamb rose 9.2% from 2023, according to Expana. Bone-in ham and ¼-inch trimmed pork loin also rose in price, with the report finding the former posting an 8.3% increase and the latter 3.4%.
Of the vegetables in the Main Food Index, sweet potato prices increased the most, at 2.6%. Potatoes and turnips experienced smaller increases of 1.6% and 1.4% respectively.
Expana pegged carrot costs at 58 cents per pound, representing a 19.2% year-over-year decline.
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Meanwhile, the report found a 5.5% increase in the Ginger Bread Index which consists of wheat flour, sugar, butter, eggs, ginger and cassia. The jump is largely attributed to the cost of eggs and sugar.
Commodity data said "benchmark Midwest Large quotes" came in at $4.29 per dozen on average in November, jumping 97.5% from the same time last year.
Bureau of Labor Statistics data found the average price of a dozen large Grade A eggs in US cities was $3,649 in November, compared to $2,138 a year ago.
Factors include "strong retail demand, holiday preparationsand continued inflation, as well as bird flu, have contributed to higher costs, according to Expana.
In addition to eggs and sugar, the spices ginger and cassia increased in cost, it found.
Butter and wheat, however, have become cheaper, according to Expana's measurements. Their prices fell 2.2% and 2%, respectively.
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The Main Food Index and Gingerbread make up the Expana Christmas Dinner Index. Taking changes in the cost of all ingredients from each, Christmas treats and gingerbread have together recorded a 2.4% increase from 2023, the report said.
For the winter holidays, consumers will spend $261 on food, candy, decorations and other non-gift items, according to separate data from the National Retail Federation.
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