Behind the Scenes of a Thankful Feast: 8 Fun Facts about the Thanksgiving Supply Chain
It’s November and Halloween already seems like a distant memory. The air is turning cooler, and retailers have Thanksgiving items out in full force — it’s safe to say the holiday season is here! A successful Thanksgiving feast involves advanced supply chain strategies to make sure you have everything you need to make a delicious meal on-time. Here are 8 fun facts about the Thanksgiving supply chain.
1. According to the NRF, holiday spending is expected to reach record levels during November and December and will grow between 3% and 4% over 2022 between $957.3 billion and $966.6 billion
2. To meet the holiday demand, NRF expects retailers will hire between 345,000 and 450,000 seasonal workers
3. Cargo Data states, producers in the United States raise an estimated 254 million turkeys each year, which is valued at nearly $5 billion
4. With 20% of annual demand, over 80 million pounds of cranberries are consumed on Thanksgiving, Cargo Data found.
5. The USDA claims the largest turkey producing state is Minnesota, at 37.5 million turkeys in 2022.
6. According to World Business, a Thanksgiving meal travels up to 2,500 miles getting from farm to table.
7. Wells Fargo’s annual report shows fresh whole turkey will cost about 9% less this year, averaging $1.47 per pound.
8. Consumers can expect to pay about 20% less for fresh cranberries compared to a year ago, but canned cranberry fans will be faced with prices up 60% from last year, Wells Fargo report found.
From Thanksgiving to Christmas and New Years, these next two months will be a time of planning and budgeting in preparation for family festivites. Thanks to advanced supply chain technology and solutions, we are able to get the items we need, when we need them.
Learn more about how supply chain technoloy and solutions can enhance the consumer experience and increase ROI for companies at MODEX 2024 March 11-14 in Atlanta, GA. MODEX 2024 brings the entire supply chain industry together with 45,000 manufacturing, supply chain and transportation professionals to attend seeking solutions for their operations from traditional equipment to sustainability to automation, robotics, and emerging tech. Join them by making plans to attend today and see, in-person the full spectrum of what’s now and what’s next at MODEX 2024.
