Whole Foods offers 'insurance' for burned, overcooked, or botched turkeys on Thanksgiving

·Reporter

November 11, 2020 at 2:57 PM·3 min read

Whole Foods and Progressive Insurance are teaming up to provide a “turkey protection plan” to help home chefs who commit bird-cooking blunders this Thanksgiving.

The grocery chain is offering a $35 gift card to a limited number of shoppers who end up botching their Thanksgiving turkey, rendering the feast’s focal point unappetizing or inedible.

“As we anticipate more, smaller Thanksgiving gatherings and first-time cooks tackling turkey preparation this year, the Thanksgiving Turkey Protection Plan allows customers the freedom of culinary exploration, knowing all is not lost should their cooking go astray,” Theo Weening, vice president of meat and poultry at Whole Foods Market, said in a statement.

Whole Foods and Progressive Insurance are teaming up to provide a “turkey protection plan” to help home chefs who commit bird-cooking blunders this Thanksgiving. (Photo: Getty)

Whole Foods shoppers who purchase their turkey from the supermarket between Nov. 11 and Nov. 22 are eligible for the insurance. If the main event on Nov. 26 goes sideways, customers can file their claims with Whole Foods online on Thanksgiving Day and the following day.

Claims must include proof of purchase (receipt), a picture of the failed turkey, and an explanation of what went wrong. Whole Foods categorizes a “turkey fail” as any turkey that is “burnt, overcooked, undercooked, over-seasoned, under-seasoned or dry,” according to the fine print. Gift cards are limited to the first 1,000 approved claims.

“We want to help customers rise to the occasion and take on that turkey with confidence for less-stressed Thanksgiving meal preparation,” Weening said.

Scaled-down versions of November’s biggest holiday for many families means breaking bread with loved ones over video conferencing instead. (Photo: Getty)

The turkey insurance option from Whole Foods is one of the many ways Thanksgiving will look different this year, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

Health experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci are discouraging large group gatherings, especially those composed of guests from disparate parts of the country and representing different generations. That means a scaled-down version of November’s biggest holiday for many families, breaking bread with loved ones over video conferencing instead.

Nine in 10 people are planning for smaller Thanksgiving gatherings this year, according to a recent survey of Stew Leonard’s supermarket customers.

Grocers like Stew Leonard’s are also anticipating that smaller gatherings mean that the demand for smaller sized birds will grow. The Northeast grocer has ordered 20% more smaller turkeys that can feed between four and six guests and 20% fewer turkeys that weigh over 16 pounds and can feed dozens of guests.

“While holiday get-togethers will be smaller this year,” Stew Leonard, Jr. said, “nobody is going to skip Thanksgiving.”

Stephanie is a reporter for Yahoo Money and Cashay, a new personal finance website. Follow her on Twitter @SJAsymkos.

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