Week one of the Trump administration was a whirlwind of executive orders, controversial policy shifts, and a curious lack of attention to the concerns of everyday Americans. While the President has been busy dismantling environmental regulations, restricting immigration, and attempting to reassert America’s dominance on the global stage, voters who elected him on promises of economic relief are left grappling with the rising cost of living – particularly the astronomical price of groceries.
Amidst the flurry of headlines about political appointments and international relations, and the imminent arrival of the Popeyes x Don Julio collaboration (please, for the love of all that is holy, resist the temptation to be distracted by the inevitable chaos that will ensue), the plight of the average American, struggling to put food on the table, seems to have fallen off the radar. This begs the question: while the President is busy ‘making America great again,’ what happened to the promise of making life more affordable for the very people who put him back in the White House?
Trump has been busy through, pulling in impressive stats that would make any political player proud – 34 executive orders, $500 billion in AI investment announced, four confirmed cabinet appointments, a media scuffle with an already ousted Vivek Ramaswamy who was to co-chair the newly create Department of Government Efficiency, and a White House website overhaul that seemingly seeks to ensure the entire world knows the correct response to the age-old sports cheer “whose house?”
Trump went on gutting federal DEI initiatives, attempting to end birthright citizenship, withdrawing the nation from the World Health Organization and Paris Agreement (again), and launching a full-force ICE assault on undocumented residents with arrests sitting at 956 as of January 26. Still, with all Trump has done, voters are taking to social media to discuss Trump’s delay in delivering the things he’d promised to the regular, everyday people who voted for him in what MSNBC has deemed the “Grocery Election“.
While the new president campaigned on getting the cost of breakfast down, he seemingly rolled back those promises swiftly. “I don’t think so. Look, they got them up,” referring to the Biden-Harris administration. “I’d like to bring them down. It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up. You know, it’s very hard,” Trump continued. But the President also said that the work he is working out should, eventually, bring the prices of food down, including boosting energy production through his vow to “drill baby drill” and solving the spooky supply chain hold up that seems to be more Bogeyman than a real thing.
While Trump is correct that lowering prices can be accomplished through several avenues, Trump, and most of Washington D.C. seem to be looking right through said avenues.
Why Grocery Are So High: A Look at the Eggs
In 2023, eggs climbed up to an average of $3.59 across the United States, the same eggs that had costs around $1.72 in 2022. The price for a dozen eggs has only increased, with an average cost for a dozen Grade A eggs running Americans $4.15 in December 2024 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – making for a 36.8% increase in just one year. According to the Bureau and economists, there are several aspected baked into increase.
Inflation
While inflation has somewhat cooled down, it continues to impact food prices. The lingering effects of supply chain disruptions, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and other global factors continue to contribute to elevated costs for farmers. In 2022, the customer price index hit its highest level in four decades. And this particular bout with inflation hit food items harder than others. In fact, the 2022 inflation contributed to the average cost of breakfast staples rising 24%, year over year. Eggs though saw the biggest jump, with an increase of 59.9%, and margarine and butter taking the next biggest jumps at 43.8% and 31.4%, respectively. This increase pushed the cost of a meal away from home up 13.5% and the cost of meals at home up 8% according to a study done in August of 2022.
The Supply Chain and the Cost of Raising Hens
The cost of feed, labor, and energy continues to rise for farmers. This increased operational burden inevitably gets passed on to consumers in the form of higher egg prices. Farm owners state that feed costs had been higher, and as the cost of feed went up, so did the cost of keeping large flocks of birds. As a response to higher feed costs, farms raised fewer egg-laying hens, which impacted the quantity of eggs produced. But, remember that eggs are considered a staple food, so even though the supply of egg-laying hens decreased, the demand for eggs barely budged. From here, the supply and demand curve played its role – the supply decreased but demand stayed consistent, therefore the price of the good in question jumped up.
The Birds are Sick
There is also the Avian Flu being carried and spread by free-flying water birds, such as ducks, geese, and shorebirds. The flu also infects chickens, turkeys, quail, and other domesticated fowl. The most recent epidemic of the bird flu hit in 2022 and has since persisted, consistently decreasing the total size of the U.S. egg-laying flock. In fact, in 2022, about 40 million laying hens contracted the disease and were “destroyed” while more than 20 million egg-laying chickens died in 2024 Q4 alone. As a result of said death or destruction, the total egg production dropped.
Corporate Greed
Still, there is another factor being completely ignored by lawmakers including former President Biden and now President Trump: the fact that a portion of the price hikes are directly tied to profit margin.
This margin can add an additional 30% on top of the before-retail price, given grocery stores also want to make money.
Between 2022 and 2023, large grocery brands such as Conagra, Kraft-Heinz, Tyson Foods, and General Mills, among others, saw significant profit increases while simultaneously raising prices on their products. These companies, which produce a wide range of food staples, were suspected to have capitalized on inflation, passing the increased costs and extra profits onto consumers so that their own bottom lines soared. Conagra brands saw a 56% increase, with their net income increase from $219 million in February 2022 to February 2023. Cal-Maine Foods, the makers of food products such as Egg-Land’s, Land O’Lakes and Farmhouse saw an increase of 718%, with net income jumping to $323 million in February 2023, up from $40 million in February 2022.
A recent report by the progressive advocacy group Groundwork Collaborative found that corporate profits were a significant driver of inflation in 2023. The report concluded that corporate profits fueled 53% of inflation during the second and third quarters of 2023. Moreover, the analysis revealed that corporate profits accounted for a substantial 34% of inflation since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This data suggests that while consumers have borne the brunt of rising prices, corporations have reaped significant profits, raising concerns about excessive price increases and their impact on everyday Americans.
Higher Prices Are Here to Stay. They’ll Probably Get Worse.
Here’s the troubling part: history suggests these prices likely won’t go down anytime soon. Grocery stores are notorious for holding onto profit margins, even if it means consumers pay more. This, coupled with potential labor shortages, could lead to a permanent increase in food prices, including eggs.
The potential removal of undocumented workers from the agricultural workforce adds another layer of concern. These workers are a vital part of the food system, and their absence could lead to labor shortages, further driving up costs.
Research by organizations like the Center for Migration Studies of New York indicates that an estimated 8.3 million undocumented immigrants contribute to the U.S. workforce, representing slightly over 5% of the total labor pool. Furthermore, undocumented immigrants play a crucial role in the agricultural sector, comprising approximately 20% of the overall workforce, according to Capital Economics, an investment advisory firm. In some specialized farming areas, this figure can rise to nearly half.
Groceries aside, the restaurant and food service industries, heavily reliant on undocumented workers, also face significant challenges as deportations increase. Labor shortages would likely force these businesses, including countless small eateries, to raise wages to attract new employees. This, in turn, would inevitably lead to menu price hikes, potentially driving away price-sensitive customers.
The Popeyes x Don Julio collaboration may be the talk of the town, for now, a welcomed distraction even. The 2019 “chicken sandwich wars” between Popeyes and Chick-fil-A did mean intense social media engagement and even some real-world scuffles that were entertaining to watch. But for many Americans post-election, the real concern is putting food on the table and the climate being created by the new administration will probably only intensify everyday struggles.
