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Looking for a small turkey for Thanksgiving? So is everyone – that’s the problem. A shift in demand from larger birds to smaller ones is making it difficult for shoppers who want to find a tinier turkey. So, why are bigger turkeys now less popular?
Currently, the biggest demand for turkeys during the holidays are those birds that fall within the 12 to 14 pound range. One of the biggest distributors of turkeys, Butterball, even now offers birds as small as six pounds.
There are a few main reasons American households are now changing their Thanksgiving meal preparations. Here are three of the most prominent…
I’m sure you don’t need us to tell you that the average number of people in American families has been declining for decades.
From 2017-2015, the average size of a US household was 3.14 people. Going all the way back to 1960, the average size was 3.67
In 1970, roughly 56 percent of all families had children aged 18 years or younger living in the household. But by 2016, this number fell to 42.31 percent. In other words, the majority of American families are couples or single-person homes.
Being that the majority of American households are couples or even singles, large birds produce more leftovers than can be consumed or that people want to deal with.
Despite the fact that leftovers can be frozen for later use, many people just don’t want to eat that much turkey during a given time period.
Plus, they don’t want the guilt of throwing food away. Around 200 million pounds of turkey is thrown away during Thanksgiving week every year, according to the natural resources Defense Council.
Given that families are getting smaller, it means that fewer people are making up family gatherings. There is no longer the need for a 30 pound bird, or even two, to feed 20-person extended families at the Thanksgiving table. Plus, people are spread out much more these days and not all families can get everyone together to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Some breeders, who are aware of the increasing demand for smaller birds, are working towards breeding tinier turkeys. These are different than undersized birds, which tend to be less meaty and bonier. The breeders are focusing on developing smaller, yet proportionally filled out turkeys.
