Food costs spiked while gas prices cooled. Here’s the latest look at consumer expenses.

From the beginning of December through the first half of January, roughly 1.8 million birds were affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza in the United States, with less than 150,000 of the birds being table egg-layers, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Recent price inflation is likely a byproduct of the president’s trade war, with 10% reciprocal tariffs imposed on Guatemala, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia and Honduras, and a 25% “fentanyl tariff” levied against Mexico — all of which are among the top suppliers of bananas to the U.S. This sharp decrease in cost is standard for the fruit market this time of year: Oranges are cheapest in the winter months, then increasing in price throughout the late spring and summer and eventually peaking in September or October each year.

Author: Claire Malon

---