Tony’s has secured all of its turkeys for this holiday season and will have just as many birds available for sale in November and December as in years past.
Here’s the downside: The avian flu that hit earlier in 2015 resulted in a big mandate by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to destroy any poultry exposed to bird flu. The mandate resulted in a nationwide stock 60-75% of what it typically is, according to Stefan Kosmicki, Tony’s Market Meat & Seafood Buyer.
Stefan said, “This year we are seeing a possible 15-20% price increase industry wide–as
opposed to the typical 5% annual increase the most we have ever seen in recent history”
Stefan went on to explain that Tony’s is doing everything it can to keep costs down, but given the supply and demand problem, all grocery retailers in Denver and elsewhere are forced to raise prices this year.
The 2015 bird flu was one of the worst in history. Some reports say that 48 million chickens and turkeys were lost, and it’s expected to take another one to two years for farmers to re-build their flocks. (Read this Business Insider article for more details.)
No need to pre-order holiday turkeys from Tony’s. We’re stocked right now, so shop early to beat the crowds.
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