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# Food inflation eased in 2024, but Trump’s tariffs loom
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/food-inflation-eased-in-2024-but-trumps-tariffs-loom/
- Published: 2025-03-17T17:11:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-23T18:11:52.000Z
- Description: Last year, the price of food increased at a slower rate than in 2023. Tariffs placed on trading partners could spike food prices, however.
- Author: Sky Chadde, Investigate Midwest
- Tags: Meat industry, Data Harvest, agricultural trade, Bird Flu, Canada trade, consumer costs, Donald Trump, egg prices, election impact, TP::Explainer, food inflation, Food Prices, fresh produce imports, grocery staples, inflation, Mexico trade, price fixing, supply chain, tariff-coverage, tariffs, U.S. economy, USDA analysis, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

Consumers saw a reprieve from fast-rising food prices in 2024, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture [analysis](https://ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=110815&cpid=email&ref=investigatemidwest.org).

Last year, prices for all food increased by 2.3% — a stark contrast to the 5.8% jump in 2023, which far outpaced the historical average over the past two decades.

However, not all grocery staples followed the trend.

Egg prices have [skyrocketed](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/egg-prices-continue-to-swing-drastically-cracking-already-strained-grocery-budgets/) as bird flu outbreaks destroy flocks en masse, and the U.S. Department of Justice is[ investigating](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/07/doj-investigation-egg-price-fixing-bird-flu-00218785?ref=investigatemidwest.org) whether price-fixing among egg companies is to blame. Beef prices also increased in 2024\. For years, rising meat prices have [outstripped](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/graphic-food-prices-especially-meat-are-outstripping-historical-inflation/) inflation.

In the leadup to the November election, Donald Trump consistently blamed Democrats for high food prices, vowing at rallies to “defeat inflation,” [according to the Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/trump-inflation-tariffs-prices-consumer-50c4738216756499c8cdc17ab77d6d4f?ref=investigatemidwest.org).

But Trump has also pushed for tariffs on longtime key trading partners, such as Canada and Mexico.

The tariffs could cause beef prices to further increase, [experts told Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/trump-tariffs-stoke-us-food-inflation-despite-pledge-lower-costs-2025-01-31/?ref=investigatemidwest.org). The U.S. also now [imports](https://ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/chart-detail?chartId=110713&cpid=email&ref=investigatemidwest.org) most of its fruits and a large portion of its vegetables. In 2023, Mexico accounted for 51% of U.S. fresh fruit imports and 69% of fresh vegetable imports.

Since Trump’s election victory, overall inflation — not just for food, but for all consumer items, such as gas — has increased, [according to the AP](https://apnews.com/article/trump-inflation-tariffs-prices-consumer-50c4738216756499c8cdc17ab77d6d4f?ref=investigatemidwest.org). While inflation eased some in February, promised tariffs set to be implemented in April are expected to push prices higher, [according to USA TODAY](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/03/12/inflation-february-cpi-data/82292778007/?ref=investigatemidwest.org).

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