As part of an effort to try and make groceries more affordable, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th District, is calling for an in-depth examination into why prices continue to rise on products like eggs, poultry and meat.

During a Jan. 27 press conference at Cafasso’s Fairway Market in Fort Lee, the gubernatorial candidate announced new legislation that would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to appoint a special investigator to strictly enforce price-fixing laws for the meat packing industry and encourage new producers to enter the market.

“This will help create much-needed competition in the meat and poultry industry, strengthen the food supply chain, get prices down, and help our families,” said Gottheimer. He noted that the country’s four largest processors control 85% of the market.

“In other words, there is very little competition, so the big four can, in effect, control production and, in turn, the prices. There are not enough meat distributors to drive competition and bring prices down,” he went on.

Added pressure

Additionally, Gottheimer is introducing a bill that would require the federal government to create a “comprehensive national plan” to combat high prices as well as deliver relief to families struggling with everyday costs.

Gottheimer also wrote a letter to President Donald Trump. The message demanded that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention resume regular communication on the ongoing bird flu contamination, which has wiped out 136 million birds in the last nine months. Roughly 10% of the nation’s egg-laying population has been lost in the last 90 days, which has driven up the price of eggs and poultry further.

“This disease slammed the brakes on production, creating supply shortages that will only continue to send the costs of eggs soaring even higher. Yet, even as this is happening, President Trump has ordered the CDC to stop all communication about the bird flu,” he said. “If we want to contain the bird flu outbreak, protect our families, and lower food costs, our federal agencies will need to communicate with grocers and farmers and ensure they can work across the government to help contain and solve this outbreak. Cutting off communication does just the opposite.”

Feeling the pinch

According to the USDA, egg prices rose 37% over the past year, from $2.51 to $4.15. In the New York City area, a dozen eggs costs an average $6.72.

In 2024, beef prices increased by more than 10% compared with the year before. The USDA expects higher pork and beef prices in 2025 due to meatpackers cutting back on production.

“You add to all of these higher costs that have come with inflation, from energy to everything in the supply chain, and families are feeling it in their pocketbooks. 64% of Americans said inflation was a ‘very serious problem,’ with grocery prices being their most overwhelming concern. We must do more to make life more affordable and stop food and grocery costs from eating into the budgets of Jersey families,” Gottheimer said.

“Families are now spending 11% of their income on food – that’s the highest in three decades. It has become increasingly expensive for our local markets … to serve our communities — raising the cost for our families to buy groceries, or to eat out at the local diner — where people order plenty of eggs,” Gottheimer said.

“ … The bottom line is that we can’t let higher costs just pull up a seat at the kitchen table and steal from our families — we must again work together to deliver for Jersey. Democrats and Republicans must come together in a bipartisan fashion to get costs down and ensure our families and small businesses can thrive.”

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