Colorado shoppers pay more for food due to bird flu, policy changes, labor challenges
Colorado shoppers are urged to be ready to continue digging deep into their pockets and paying more for food and groceries, because experts say food prices are rising once again, making it more difficult to make ends meet.
Jack Buffington, a professor at the University of Denver and the Program Director for Supply Chain, says there are a lot of factors coming into play right now that are keeping food costs high. That includes bird flu, policy changes, labor challenges and even weather impacts.
"In the supply chain, we always think we can solve problems, but there's a lot of headwinds going on right now when it comes to food in Colorado," said Buffington.
Buffington said that eggs and meat are among some of the most impacted foods right now. For example, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, back in 2020, a dozen eggs cost on average $1.48. In 2024, that jumped up to $4.15 a dozen. The latest CPI report also shows that egg prices were up 36.8% since the same time last year.
Plus more than 20 million chickens in the U.S. died last quarter because of the bird flu. That and a change in Colorado state law requiring all eggs to be cage-free have led to egg prices soaring, meaning there is a limited supply and demand is still high.
"There are bird flu strains that have been around for over 10 years. They're very difficult to manage and how we run our supply chains," said Buffington.
Buffington also said President Donald Trump's proposed immigration policies could create labor and workforce challenges moving forward. The supply chain could be impacted in the United States as well. For example, he said some migrant field workers could be scared to come to work afraid of being caught by ICE.
"Immigration policy and tariffs sound great, but they also lead to changes in labor and changes in supply chains. And these, when they get started, can spin out of control," said Buffington. "So the concern is, if you try to move too fast, you could really create disruption, and that has a very bad impact on inflation."
"There are also some concerns about food production and agriculture production in Mexico. Colorado, I believe, gets over 50% of its agriculture from Mexico," said Buffington. "So if there are any tariffs that were put in place, that could also impact food prices. So we're seeing a lot of headwind when it comes to food prices."
Prices of coffee and chocolate are also being impacted by climate change and hot temperatures in other parts of the world.
Buffington added, that most of the inflation pressure will be on fresh foods compared to processed foods. That's because fresh foods have to be picked and shipped right away, and if the labor isn't there, that could also drive up prices.
Buffington is also encouraging consumers to be smart shoppers. He added, be mindful about what you're buying, how much you're buying, and consider where you buy certain food items too.
"There are just a lot of challenges that I don't think are going to get fixed anytime soon," said Buffington. "You can start to take other measures in order to address but if you don't, the supply chain is just going to react to these major challenges, and that's what my big fear is."
