Turkeys at the grocery store; photo Steve MacArthur

You’re not alone if you’re worried about covering the costs of your grocery list for Thanksgiving.

A new report out of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia has found food inflation is putting some pressure on dinner tables this year.

It shows almost a quarter of Canadians plan to make menu changes due to higher food prices.

“Lower-income households, who earn below $50k a year and comprise 30% of this group, are almost certainly making changes due to higher food prices,” according to the report.

Thanksgiving 2022 Research out of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab.

The report also found turkey has increased per kilogram price by an average of 15 percent compared to last year. Potatoes are 22 percent more expensive. Bread and butter are both up by 13 percent, while cranberries have climbed by 12 percent.

“Higher food prices are clearly changing plans for many people this year,” said Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab. “This is our first time measuring intent of Canadians for Thanksgiving, but you can sense that food inflation is putting some pressure on dinner tables these days.”

Three in five Canadians rank turkey as the most essential dinner dish. Stuffing and potatoes come in at a distant second and third, with a little less than half ranking each among their top Thanksgiving foods.

Pumpkin pie is the most popular dessert.

Meantime, 82 percent of Canadians say they prefer homemade food for the holiday.