Fast Food Favorites That May Skyrocket In Price With New Tariffs

Yahoo

13-03-2025

Thanks to an escalating trade war with tariffs used as ammunition, the very real prospect of increased prices for grocery staples and produce looms near for American consumers. As a result of the highly interdependent global food network, fast food items that use some of the most common ingredients around could see some unreasonable increases. Not only will increased tariffs mean you'll be paying more for items like beef, seafood, and tomatoes at the grocery store, it also means you'll be shelling out extra cash at your favorite joint just to make it to the table with your preferred combo in tow.
Though no one can say when or if the tariff increases will actually happen, it's best to be prepared for what may be coming your way shortly in the world of fast food pricing. If you thought skyrocketing egg prices were a nuisance, wait until the price of your favorite breakfast sandwich skyrockets, too. From beef becoming more costly to cheese prices rising precipitously to a premium being put on cooking oil, here's a list of possible culprits imported from Mexico, Canada, and China that stand to see prices soaring into nosebleed territory as the tariff battle heats up.
Read more: Ranking Fast Food's Fried Fish Sandwiches From Worst To First
Beef factors into so many fast food staples, it's almost impossible to find a menu that won't be impacted by tariffs. From the simplest single patty burgers at McDonald's to upscale fajita salads at Salad and Go, if the item is even a little bit beefy, the price is likely to be beefed up considerably. Having watched basic orders and combo meals slide up the pricing scale in recent years thanks to ever-increasing beef prices, diners could experience more sticker shock to come in the coming weeks and months.
Reacting to fears of potential tariffs, some cautious Canadian farmers stopped purchasing herds of cattle in late 2024, reducing their herds and limiting their product, along with their livelihoods. With ¾ of Canadian beef ending up in the U.S. market — and therefore being subject to potential tariff increases — fast food restaurants selling beef-based items are likely to jack up prices just to keep their expenses level. Combined with a 34% increase in global beef prices since early 2020 and reduced sizes of cattle herds in both U.S. and Canada, 25% in additional tariffs stand to add even more to an already painful beef bill at your favorite fast food counter. Burger buyers beware.
You already know how impactful the soaring price of eggs has been on the average grocery shopper. Having been such a hot button topic in world politics, it's also become an indicator of the ability of the government to make things better for the American public. But the bad news is that many fast food dishes use eggs too, which means there's no escaping the incredible increase you could see in prices of dishes like a Burger King Croissan'wich, a McDonald's Egg McMuffin, and a Jack-in-the-Box Breakfast Burrito. All of these items feature eggs as staple ingredients, which means all of them are subject to a post tariff price hike no matter how you like your eggs prepared.
How did egg prices become an indicator of economic well-being and why would prices keep going up if additional tariffs come to bear? Blame H5N1, a strain of bird flu ravaging flocks of laying hens around the world. To mitigate the spread and prevent a new pandemic, U.S. farmers have been culling (meaning destroying) flocks numbering in the millions, drastically reducing the number of egg-laying hens and making eggs almost as precious as hen's teeth. Prices are projected to increase another 40% in 2025; to counter the shortage, importing eggs from other countries is possible, but those eggs could come from countries under threat of increased tariffs like Canada, U.K., and China. With price increase upon price increase, get ready for a bit of shell shock with your sunshine scrambler.
Mind bending tariffs reaching upwards of 250% are possible for dairy items coming from Canada, which will be reflected in fast food menus that use dairy on a daily basis. It may be easy to overlook the myriad ways in which milk shows up on a fast food menu, but try ordering a Wendy's Frosty or a Starbucks Frappuccino in the days after potential tariffs hit and see if you notice how essential milk is to your fast food favorites. It's also critical for the cheese on your Whopper, the ranch in your McNuggets meal, and the buttermilk in your KFC biscuits. In essence, dairy is everywhere in the fast food world, making a slew of items susceptible to possible trade war-based inflation.
A mindboggling 250% tariff on dairy hardly sounds realistic, but that's the rumored increase being bandied about by the administration. As it stands, tariffs on the Canadian side already hover near 241%, though the actual amount is driven by quotas that American imports don't reach. While the increase would appear to balance the playing field, there would be a real-world impact on milk and dairy purchasers like fast food restaurants, ice cream chains, and coffee companies whose key creations depend on milk and cheese as a chief ingredient. Prepare to feel the squeeze should tariffs take effect.
Coffee and tea are some of the most robust items brought into the U.S., which puts them on the cusp of higher prices in every restaurant from McDonald's to Starbucks to Whataburger. Premium picks like Dutch Bros and Peet's could see steeper costs for beans and leaves. Where tea is concerned, the U.S. is the second-largest tea importer in the world, behind only Pakistan; rumored tariff increases up to 60% for China in 2025 would undoubtedly stir the pricing structure in an upward direction. Even simple blends will be subject to a pop in prices, which means a soda fountain filled with Lipton iced tea may come at a premium as much as the fresh java served behind the counter.
With Hawaii and California being the only two coffee-producing states in the U.S., the majority of what hits shelves and restaurants in America is imported from countries like Brazil and Colombia. The 25% tariff dangling over the plantations of Colombia's coffee growers would result in a possible upsurge in prices wherever coffee is served. Even without the increase going into effect, the market was shaken enough to cause a costly shockwave that elevated coffee prices. So while you may consider your Venti Frap a necessity and your McCafe a cheap and easy alternative to a pricier pour, as the tariff battle brews, no bean or ground is guaranteed to be safe from feeling the heat.
There's practically no fast food restaurant in the industry that doesn't use cooking oil in some capacity. From sizzling up your favorite Arby's curly fries to working its way into your preferred Jack-in-the-Box vinaigrette dressing, this kitchen fixture will see a jump in prices if tariffs go into effect, which means you could be paying extra for items you've never thought twice about before. In fact, if it goes into the fryer, its pricing future could be dire.
How does cooking oil slide onto the slippery slope of the tariff tumult? Some U.S. companies use cooking oil imported from Canada; China is toying with imposing an additional 100% retaliatory tariff on rapeseed oil products in March 2025. Any cooking oils that use rapeseed as part of their formula would be caught in the crossfire. With the ping-pong effect of country after country doling out punitive tariffs on one another, a compounded price increase is the ultimate result. When you see the price on your favorite fries hop by a few numbers (or dollars, even), know that the greasy trail leads back to the tariffs that soaked the fast food world in extra expenses, even if it comes to fruition in a roundabout way.
Unless you grow them in your own garden or shop at a farmers market in your area, chances are the tomatoes and cucumbers in your grocery store come from Mexico. This means that the tomatoes and cucumbers used in your favorite fast food items like Chipotle pico de gallo and any outlet that serves simple salads are also subject to the dastardly trade war tariff.
These unassuming ingredients are such familiar background players in the world of easy eating, it's not difficult to forget how many appearances they make on menus everywhere. Look at tomatoes on their own; they show up in everything from Whoppers to side salads, either sliced, chopped, or wedged. In smaller concentrations, cucumbers are in the mix as well, usually partnered with tomatoes in a price-doubling duet. Forcing importers to pay an additional 25% on these humble fruits means putting the crunch of fast food suppliers who'll keep the extra costs and margin adjustments rolling all the way down the line until they hit the consumer right in the digital wallet. Imagine that pico de gallo that used to be free now coming with an upcharge due to the undesirable duty assessed. Not a sweet picture, is it? If tariffs take hold, it could happen.
You already know the pain of paying more for avocado-based food, thanks to price rises in guacamole and avocado toast with poached eggs that have taken place over the years. If you're an avocado aficionado who can't live without the groovy green fruit, strap in for some stratospheric price increases when tariffs come to town. This delicate gem is known for being particularly touchy where ripeness is concerned; imagine a fast food industry with no wiggle room to lose browned avocados and it's easy to see how charging more is the only strategy for not losing the battle of rising prices if increased tariffs become part of the menu.
It might seem modest for an avocado that cost $1.49 on a Tuesday to suddenly jump by 35 cents if the hinted-at 25% tariff were to be applied. But that brings a single piece of product near the $2 range, a cost that most fast food outlets buying avocados in bulk can't afford to eat — but these establishments can certainly afford to pile it onto your bill while stacking more guac on your plate. And that's only if prices remain reasonable before the impending tariffs go into effect. Is it worth forking over the extra moolah to keep the smooth green sauce flowing in your dining life? Prepare to be smashed by higher prices for your favorite dip if so.
Bananas aren't just one of the most purchased fruits in the U.S., they're also one of the most affordable fruits by the pound in the grocery world. But they aren't grown in the U.S.; they grow largely in Mexico and South America. This puts them squarely in the target zone for the tariff tap dance, the result of which will be additional fees for banana-based fast food items like Jamba smoothies and Dairy Queen banana splits. If you thought these deluxe dishes were special treats before, wait until the potential 25% price increase is pushed your way, all for the luxury of enjoying a sliced nana tucked under your dollops of classic soft serve. In other words, the future of banana prices hangs in the balance, thanks to a back-and-forth possibility for additional tariffs.
Strawberries are just as sensitive a topic when it comes to the impact potential tariffs could have on your fast food spending habits. These seasonal sweethearts show up during more and more months throughout the year, thanks to imports from Mexico's hospitable growing climate. With our neighbors to the south being the main provider of strawberries to the U.S., an additional 25% tariff would push prices north. This means when you drop by Sonic for a refreshing strawberry limeade and end up being charged more than what you're used to paying, the effect on your fast food habit could be chilling, to say the least.
Enjoy the tropical twist of a Jamba Aloha pineapple at its more affordable price while you still can; if the tariffs come into effect, you will likely be paying more to get an extra dose of tangy vitamin C in your day. Despite having pineapple plantations in Hawaii, much of America's commercial pineapple comes from Mexico and Central and South America, making the fruit subject to the same vexing tariffs as the country's other contributions to the U.S. food supply chain. Any restaurant with pineapple on its menu will be twisted into reconfiguring its pricing plan just to keep up with the increase.
Even without the sneaky additional tariffs in place, pineapples are pricing at market highs due to restricted supply. Though additional fruit may bring stocks flush by mid-May, if tariffs go into effect, prices could experience a 25% increase regardless. It may not sound like much, but considering the already-high cost of pushing fruit through a blender for your fast food enjoyment, tacking on additional funds to support your penchant for pineapple-flavored anything could cause your juicy preferences to quickly lose appeal. Gear up for a shift toward domestic-grown fruit like apples and oranges if you're hoping to avoid the extra payout.
Sauces made from tomatoes feature heavily in fast food items like Fazoli's spaghetti and meatballs, which makes them subject to elevated pricing structures due to tariffs down the line. Salsas like the ones you love on your Taco Bell tidbits and Del Taco delights are also tomato-based, which puts them in the line of fire, too. Consider the quantity of tomatoes required to create enough sauces to stock a single chain and the evidence mounts that additional 25% tariffs slapped onto produce coming from Mexico would add up quickly. Extend that to dressings, hot sauces, and ketchup packets, and you're looking at a major mash-up of possible price increases.
Because tomatoes don't grow all year round on farms throughout the U.S., more imports of Mexican tomatoes during wintertime could mean even higher prices due to increased demand on top of the topsy-turvy tariffs, should they occur. If there were likely to be an egg price movement in the produce world, tomatoes could be the bellwether that signals the moment adding marinara as a dipper for your Burger King mozzarella sticks becomes a far pricier endeavor for franchise owners. Stand ready to toss the sauce from your order if you're not prepared to pay more.
Pay close attention to how much you pay for fish tacos or shrimp burritos in the coming months; these delicacies could be bearing the brunt of the tariff standoff, which will make a definite dent in your fast food budget. Restaurants like Rubio's Coastal Grill and Del Taco count on having shrimp and fish to flesh out their Baja-style selections. Imposing additional costs on incoming hauls from Canada, China, and Mexico means unavoidable increases for the restaurants, which are likely to be rolled down to the pricing on the marquee.
A 25% tariff is being weighed as a possibility for Canada and Mexico, with an extra 10% for China topping an already-imposed 10% that went into effect in February 2025, which means a whopping 45% total tariff on fish and seafood imports from this Asian trading giant. The chances that increased costs for these items in all forms wouldn't show up on the menu for your favorite Long John Silver's selections or Popeyes' most popular items are slim to none. But the full force of the tariffs will need to be felt in order to know how far out to sea fast food fish lovers might be when it comes to coughing up cash for their favorite fillets.
Read the original article on Mashed.