Feb. 25 The Department of Agriculture released an updated food price outlook report for the year predicting that egg prices would increase 41.1% in 2025 as they continue to experience “volatile month-to-month changes” because of the ongoing bird flu outbreak—up from the 20.3% increase the USDA predicted in January.

A lot goes into the production of eggs — and with the Trump administration’s tariff policies potentially affecting costs for chicken feed and equipment, bird flu isn’t the only reason U.S. consumers may continue to pay high prices for eggs at the grocery store.

Bird flu has been a looming threat recently, and public health officials are reporting more and more cases. H5N1 has impacted birds, livestock, and humans alike across multiple continents. The first fatal human case of bird flu was reported in Louisiana recently,