Six days from now, millions of Americans will be sitting down at their dinner tables with an oven-hot, steaming Thanksgiving turkey resting neatly on a plate.
Many families cook for hours, but how do the meat industry and supermarkets prepare for the holiday?
While most hungry Americans probably don’t think about it too often, thousands of stores across the country must prepare for the turkey day rush and adjust orders accordingly.
But this years’ figures show November turkey sales have not increased as much as past years, according to the National Turkey Foundation.
Sherrie Rosenblatt, director of public relations for the NTF, said she credits the slump partly to the wider range of turkey products available from manufacturers.
‘Turkey products are [now] available for consumption all year long,’ Rosenblatt said. ‘The industry has provided products to get dinner on the table quicker and fit the needs of the consumer.’
Despite declining sales, the NTF reports 2002 has been a solid year for the turkey industry.
‘As a whole, this has been a good year,’ Rosenblatt said. ‘Consumption is up, and the USDA says we’re seeing a lot more products sold throughout the year.’
Forty-five million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving and another 22 million are consumed on Dec. 25, Rosenblatt said. Regarding these numbers as an enormous increase in sales this time of year is the main reason why stores normally stock up on turkeys and related items.
‘Consumers are finding new products besides the whole bird, such as turkey tenderloins, breasts and roast varieties,’ Rosenblatt said.
Grocery stores also increase their inventory accordingly, according to Bill Lynch, manager of Shaw’s Supermarket on Commonwealth Avenue.
‘We practically go to the 90th percentile for turkey sales. It’s a huge jump,’ he said. ‘We don’t see a lot of whole turkeys sold because most of our clients are students, and they buy parts.’
According to Lynch, certain brands tend to sell better than others. He claims Shaw’s brand is the best seller with Butterball coming in second. Shaw’s brand and frozen turkeys sell well because of their lower prices, Lynch said.
Many shoppers are also looking into the option of natural turkeys, Lynch said. Wellington and Bell and Evans are two of the leading brands of organic birds, he added.
‘People prefer fresh, and we are a very last-minute store,’ Lynch said.
Following Thanksgiving, turkey sales normally slow until the third week in December, when numbers increase by 50 percent, Lynch said.
According to Lynch, even though Shaw’s does not make a profit from the turkey meat it sells, it uses the seasonal purchases to attract consumers to their store.
‘We lose money on every turkey,’ Lynch said. ‘The rule of thumb is not to make money, but to get people to buy other stuff.’
Lynch said hams, produce and baked goods also traditionally sell well during the holidays. He said last year was the first time he ran out of hams.
‘Produce does a tremendous business for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we sell a tremendous amount of baking goods,’ he said.
Meanwhile, chicken and deli sales often drop, as people tend to stay away from cold cuts for the holidays, according to Lynch. Beef and pork sales stay steady, he said.
But aside from the holiday season, Lynch said turkeys fail to generate much business, especially when the weather starts to get warmer.
A Bureau of National Affairs survey found that five percent of companies will give away turkeys to their employees this year, and four percent will do so by hand at Christmas, according to a recent Wall Street Jourmal article.
But just how do so many turkeys become available around holiday time? The process actually starts back in May, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. During the month of May, millions of turkey eggs are incubated, and after the turkeys hatch they grow for the next four to five months, according to the USDA’s website. After reaching a desired weight, the turkeys are slaughtered.
Turkeys can be frozen for an indefinite period of time, although the optimum amount of time for the best quality is up to a year, according to the USDA’s website.
More and more restaurants are also featuring turkey on their menus, according to the NTF’s website. A recent NTF survey revealed 85 percent of restaurants serve the bird, a 15 percent increase from four years ago.
According to the survey, restaurants are also changing their approach, serving turkey soups, sandwiches and salads. The survey showed 31 percent of all restaurants added turkey to their menus in just the past year.
NTF’s website also features turkey recipes, along with tips on how to prepare and cook the bird, for Thanksgiving and the entire year.
‘We have a sign-up on our website for people to receive a recipe every week,’ Rosenblatt said. ‘On Valentine’s Day, we come out with something elegant.’
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