Food Prices Are On The Rise Again, But Consumers Shouldn’t Panic

On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, a grocery store in Rochester, Minnesota, ran out of eggs.

Food prices have historically fluctuated due to temporary disruptions such as weather events, crop yields, disease, supply chain issues, or spikes in demand.

An hour and a half north in Richfield, some eggs were available, but at a higher price—$1.70 more per dozen, a 40 percent increase from four months ago, CNN’s Alicia Wallace and Erika Tulfo reported.

In November, egg prices nationwide jumped 8.2 percent, one of the highest monthly increases in two decades, according to recent Consumer Price Index data.

Price hikes were also seen in beef, coffee, and non-alcoholic beverages, pushing overall grocery prices to their largest monthly gain since January 2023. Wholesale chicken egg prices soared by nearly 55 percent last month, and wholesale food prices rose 3.1 percent, the highest increase in two years.

Economists urge consumers not to panic.

The “egg-flation” and sudden price hikes in certain food categories reflect isolated incidents rather than systemic inflation. Food prices have historically fluctuated due to temporary disruptions such as weather events, crop yields, disease, supply chain issues, or spikes in demand.