Cornucopia’s Take: While many brands have begun to offer organic and no-antibiotic turkeys for the holiday, Cornucopia recommends consumers find local, organic turkey producers to buy from. The artificially low prices on organic turkey could be a red flag, given the time, care, and feed it takes to raise organic gobblers. And what better way to say thanks than to support your local farms?
Organic turkeys are gobbling up share of Thanksgiving market
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
by Paul Gores
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The annual turkey tussle has commenced.
Grocery stores, hoping to lure consumers inside to buy the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving Day feast — and all the sides and trimmings, of course — are offering everything from turkeys that led drug-free lives to 10-pound frozen gobblers that could cost less than $5.
“It’s a pretty big week. They usually have some gimmick regarding turkeys,” said David J. Livingston, a grocery consultant based in Waukesha.
One theme this year seems to be more organically raised turkeys.
On Wednesday, Whole Foods Market, now owned by online mega-retailer Amazon, announced lower prices on some grocery items, including a 20% reduction in the prices of organic and no-antibiotic turkeys.
Whole Foods said customers will be able buy organic turkeys for $3.49 a pound and no-antibiotic turkeys for $2.49 a pound, just in time for Thanksgiving. Amazon Prime members will be able to purchase organic turkeys for $2.99 a pound and antibiotic-free turkeys for $1.99 per pound, while supplies last, the company said.
All fresh turkeys sold at Whole Foods Market must meet the grocer’s quality standards, including no antibiotics, no animal byproducts in their feed and animal welfare audits by third-party certifiers such as Global Animal Partnership, according to the company.
“These are the latest new lower prices in our ongoing integration and innovation with Amazon, and we’re just getting started,” John Mackey, Whole Foods Market co-founder and chief executive, said in a statement.
There is increased consumer demand for organic food in general, but turkeys are the subject of the season. Even Butterball, the brand known for turkeys for decades, said this week it plans to offer whole organic turkeys for the first time, as well as organic ground turkey.
“I think all the conventional stores have been adding more organic to try to compete with all the new stores that have opened, like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Fresh Thyme,” Livingston said.
Meijer announced Wednesday it is introducing its first-ever antibiotic-free, vegetarian-fed True Goodness fresh turkey. But the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer was stressing price as perhaps it best hook to get customers in the doors.
Meijer said that when a customer spends $30, Meijer brand frozen turkeys will cost 38 cents per pound through Nov. 25 in the Milwaukee and Chicago markets. What that means is that a 10-pound turkey will cost $3.80 here. Meijer noted that the price can vary by market location.
Kroger-owned, Milwaukee-based Roundy’s Inc., which operates the Pick ‘n Save, Metro Market and Copp’s stores in Wisconsin and the Mariano’s chain in northern Illinois, said organically raised turkeys cost about $2 more per pound than traditional birds.
“Clearly, there is and has been an increase in organic offerings at our stores,” said Roundy’s spokesman James Hyland. “However, organic turkeys are only offered in selected stores during the holiday time frame.”
