15 Thanksgiving Food Facts

Thanksgiving is around the corner and you’re probably starting to plan your dinner. Food is an important part of the holiday, and boy do we like to pile our plates with delish food. Check out these 15 Thanksgiving food facts.

Americans buy 365 million pounds of turkey the week of Thanksgiving, usually whole turkeys.
For those who don’t like turkey, ham is usually the substitute. About 77 million pounds of ham is purchased for Thanksgiving.
About 250 million pounds of potatoes are purchased for Thanksgiving.
More than 50 million pounds of sweet potatoes are typically purchased for the holiday.
Over 40.5 million rolls are usually purchased.
Don’t forget the stuffing. Americans spent about $96 million on seasoned breadcrumbs.
About 80 million pounds of cranberries are consumed during the holiday, which includes over 5 million gallons of jellied cranberry sauce.
Over $42 million is spent on canned cranberry sauce each year. More than 17 million pounds of fresh cranberries are sold.
Frozen vegetables are a time-saving dish for Thanksgiving. About $137 million is spent on frozen vegetables for the holiday dinner.
About 40% of Campbell’s total sales of cream of Mushroom Soup leading up to the holiday. Mostly going into green bean casserole dishes.
Over 480,000 lbs of fresh pumpkins are purchased each year for Thanksgiving. Mostly likely to make pumpkin pie or some may use them for décor.
Speaking of pie, about 19 million pies are purchased for the holiday, while $50 million was spent on pre-made pie filling.
For Thanksgiving, Americans purchase $87 million worth of pre-packaged mixes for cakes, cookies, and sweetbreads.
Americans eat between 2,500 and 4,500 calories during the holiday, which is equivalent to eating between 4 and 8 Big Macs for one meal.
Even with the extra calories, it’s a myth that the average person gains 5 pounds over the holiday. Most people only gain about eight-tenths of a pound.