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What's in Walmart's $3.50 per person "holiday meal basket"?

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Cite

Cerullo, M. (2026, October 28). What's in Walmart's $3.50 per person "holiday meal basket"? CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/walmart-holiday-meal-basket-deal-what-you-get/

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

CBS News · collected 2026-10-28 · by Megan Cerullo

Quick Summary

Walmart announced on Wednesday that its holiday meal basket will cost $35 for a serving of ten people, which is $3.50 per person and represents a 12% decrease from last year’s prices despite rising food costs overall. The basket includes 26 items such as turkey, stuffing mix, cranberries, and pumpkin pie filling, with Walmart emphasizing lower pricing amid consumer demand for affordability.
Written by AI on 2026-10-30, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Walmart announced on October 28, 2026, that its "holiday meal basket" this year will cost $35, or $3.50 per person, feeding a total of 10 individuals. This is the lowest price ever for the retailer's annual Thanksgiving meal deal, which includes 26 items such as corn muffin mix, whole kernel corn, green beans, and cranberries. The bundle costs 12% less than last year despite containing an additional 18% in products. Walmart cites internal survey data showing that consumers are seeking lower prices amid rising food costs; since 2020, the cost of food purchased at grocery stores for home consumption has surged by more than 30% according to Federal Reserve data.

Written for “Walmart Thanksgiving Meal Deal” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Walmart Thanksgiving Meal Deal
Economy/Business · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 25% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
8
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
25%
2 of 8 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
CBS News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-30 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

CBS News · 4280 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Megan Cerullo
29 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Advances in artificial intelligence are making it a cinch to create so-called , videos and audio recordings, raising concerns that bad actors could bombard people with hyper-realistic scams and spread disinformation.
🔮 Wendy Mayo knows firsthand how expensive and time-consuming caring for an aging parent can be.
🔮 Walmart said on Wednesday that its "holiday meal basket" this year, which feeds 10 individuals, will cost $35, or $3.50 per person.
🔮 "There's a world of difference between user-authorized agents (Muse, Instinct, Grokbot, etc.) and true unauthorized/rogue agents that could constitute cyberattacks," he said.
🔮 Assuming a family spends $24,000 annually on childcare, it would need to earn roughly $343,000 to remain below the 7% threshold.
🔮 Holiday retail sales this year are expected to top $1 trillion for the first time, according to a forecast from the National Retail Federation.
2026-10-20 · speculative framing · Amazon to hire 300,000 workers for seasonal jobs this year
🔮 Walmart is betting that low prices and discounts will draw cash-strapped Americans into its stores.
🔮 Such certificates or licenses demonstrate "specific skills that will put you ahead of other candidates," she told CBS News.
🔮 Financial security among U.S. employees dropped from 46% to 36% in 2026, its lowest level in seven years, according to a survey of 6,000 U.S. employees by benefits company Willis Towers Watson (WTW).
🔮 AI companies are facing a dilemma between promoting the technology's capabilities as more experts are about the dangers the tech could pose to society.
Also by Megan Cerullo
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 29 articles by Megan Cerullo →

Topics

CBS News Federal Reserve Great Value U.S. Walmart

Subjects

Walmart ORG · 6× Great Value ORG · 3× Butterball ORG · 1× CBS News ORG · 1× Campbell ORG · 1× Federal Reserve ORG · 1× U.S. GPE · 1×

Narrative

Walmart's holiday basket includes 17 different products and 26 items in total: - "JIFFY" Corn Muffin Mix (2 x 8.5 oz boxes) - Great Value Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn (3 cans x 15 oz) - Great Value Cut Green Beans (3 cans x 14.5 oz) - Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, 10.5 oz Can - Great Value French Fried Onions Salad Topping, 6 oz (Resealable Bag) - Fresh Whole Russet Potatoes 5 lb Bag - Great Value Brown Gravy Mix (2 packets x 0.87 oz) - Great Value Frozen Traditional Pie Crusts, Two 9-inch Pie Crust & Pans, 15 oz - Great Value Whipped Topping, Dessert and Fruit Topping, 8 oz (Frozen) - Great Value 100% Pure Pumpkin, 15 oz - Great Value Evaporated Milk, 12 fl oz - Great Value Brown and Serve Rolls, 12 oz, 12 Count - Stove Top Stuffing Mix, 1 Box, for Dinner Sides and Thanksgiving Dinner, Turkey, (2 boxes x 6 oz) - Fresh Cranberries, 12 oz, Bag - Jet-Puffed Mini Marshmallows, 10 oz Bag - Fresh Whole Sweet Potatoes, Delicious and Versatile Root Vegetable (3 potatoes) - Butterball Frozen Whole Turkey, All Natural, 10-16 lbs, Serves 7-11
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-30
🔮 Walmart said on Wednesday that its "holiday meal basket" this year, which feeds 10 individuals, will cost $35, or $3.50 per person.
2026-10-30 · CBS News
What's in Walmart's $3.50 per person "holiday meal basket"? · mixed framing

Claims (8 extracted, 2 hedged)

Walmart said on Wednesday that its "holiday meal basket" this year, which feeds 10 individuals, will cost $35, or $3.50 per person. asserted
which → say → person
Walmart cited internal survey data showing that consumers are seeking lower prices. asserted
consumers → cite → prices
The food items from Walmart and other national brands run the gamut from Thanksgiving staples like turkey and stuffing to mini marshmallows. asserted
items → run → marshmallows
"Not only does this year's basket have 18% more items, but it also costs 12% less than those same items did last year, making this the lowest priced one-click basket in the program's history," Walmart said in a statement. asserted
Walmart → have → statement
Walmart said it is also offering free express delivery on the meal basket through November 30. asserted
it → say → November
Through September, food prices across the U.S. had risen 2.5% this year, according to the CBS News Price Tracker. uncertain
prices → rise → Tracker
The cost of food purchased at grocery stores for home consumption has surged by more than 30% since 2020, according to Federal Reserve data. uncertain
cost → purchase → data
Walmart's holiday basket includes 17 different products and 26 items in total: - "JIFFY" Corn Muffin Mix (2 x 8.5 oz boxes) - Great Value Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn (3 cans x 15 oz) - Great Value Cut Green Beans (3 cans x 14.5 oz) - Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, 10.5 oz Can - Great Value French Fried Onions Salad Topping, 6 oz (Resealable Bag) - Fresh Whole Russet Potatoes 5 lb Bag - Great Value Brown Gravy Mix (2 packets x 0.87 oz) - Great Value Frozen Traditional Pie Crusts, Two 9-inch Pie Crust & Pans, 15 oz - Great Value Whipped Topping, Dessert and Fruit Topping, 8 oz (Frozen) - Great Value 100% Pure Pumpkin, 15 oz - Great Value Evaporated Milk, 12 fl oz - Great Value Brown and Serve Rolls, 12 oz, 12 Count - Stove Top Stuffing Mix, 1 Box, for Dinner Sides and Thanksgiving Dinner, Turkey, (2 boxes x 6 oz) - Fresh Cranberries, 12 oz, Bag - Jet-Puffed Mini Marshmallows, 10 oz Bag - Fresh Whole Sweet Potatoes, Delicious and Versatile Root Vegetable (3 potatoes) - Butterball Frozen Whole Turkey, All Natural, 10-16 lbs, Serves 7-11 asserted
basket → include → Potatoes
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