Food prices shot up during the pandemic and never really came back down. When COVID hit, the whole system broke. Farms couldn't get workers. Trucks couldn't get drivers. Food sat in warehouses or rotted in fields. When things opened back up, everyone was buying again but there wasn't enough to go around.

Then the war in Ukraine made things worse. Ukraine grows a lot of the world's wheat and corn. When that supply got cut off, grain prices went up everywhere, including here.

Bird flu has been killing egg-laying hens for several years now. That's a big reason eggs cost so much.

Tariffs matter here too. The U.S. brings in a lot of food from other countries, like coffee, seafood, and fresh fruits. When tariffs make those imports cost more, we pay more at the store. And when farmers pay more for equipment, fuel, and fertilizer, those costs get passed to us at checkout.

A handful of big companies also control most of what we buy. When there's less competition, prices stay high even after the problems are fixed. We're paying more, and the savings aren't coming back to us.

Fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean meats cost more to grow, ship, and keep fresh than processed food. The system is set up so the least healthy options are the cheapest.

When money is tight, it makes more sense to buy what fills you up, not what's best for you. That's not anyone's fault. That's the system working against us.

A few things that can help right now: