By LIAM BELAN and JEFF STITT
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Families across the country should expect to pay a bit more when it comes to putting together the perfect Thanksgiving dinner this year.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the retail price for a fresh boneless, skinless turkey reached a record high of $6.70 per pound in September, which is 112% higher than the same time last year when rates were $3.16 per pound.
This record-breaking figure is almost a dollar more than the previous high when turkeys were sold for $5.88 per pound in November 2015. That price was affected by the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in 2015, and this year’s turkeys are being affected similarly by effects of bird flu as well as inflation.
“They were much more than last year,” said Tony Depasquale, meat manager at Duritza’s Market in North Belle Vernon.
Despite the hike in price, local grocery stores say they are ready for the busy holiday season.
Lampert’s Market, a small business owned by Jan Kugler and her husband Rick on Eden Park Boulevard in McKeesport, offers fresh meats, some grocery and bakery items and prepared food. At Thanksgiving, the market offers its customers a chance to order fresh — never frozen — turkeys.
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