In response to a bird flu outbreak, prices have spiked once more, drawing attention to the fact that while inflation is cooling, costs are still high. American stocking up on vacation cooking essentials perhaps be met with an unpleasant surprise in the supermarket: higher prices for eggs, fueled by an escalating bird flu outbreak. Since reaching its epidemic heights in 2022, food inflation has decreased considerably. However, consumers continue to battle consistently high costs. Food expenses are so important that they took center stage in this year’s presidential election that it is especially acute when it comes to food items. Many voters blamed the Biden administration for the sticker shock, despite the fact that the majority of the rise in food prices was linked to the coronavirus crisis and other world events over which the White House has much influence. Donald J. Trump, the president-elect, made lowering food prices a key component of his campaign, though he acknowledged that bringing prices over would be “hard” in an interview with Time journal after his victory. Concerned about an increase in prices for a variety of products has also grown as a result of Mr. Trump’s proposed tariffs on imports from China, Mexico, and Canada. Egg prices, which have fluctuated this year, are perhaps one of the most evocative indicators of consumer food costs. They climbed 8.2 percent in November, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, helping to drive an acceleration in overall food inflation. A dozen grade-A eggs cost$ 3.65 on average, up from$ 2.52 at the start of the year, and were above the roughly$ 2 average when the pandemic hit the United States in the spring of 2020. The bird flu outbreak has recently wiped out flocks of egg-laying hens, leading to a rise in wholesale prices as more Americans prepare holiday recipes call for more eggs, such as cookies, eggnog, and latkes. We are having trouble retrieving the article’s content. In your browser’s settings, kindly enable JavaScript. Thank you for your patience while access is verified. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while access is verified. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.