Mission, Kan. – With the prices of stubbornly high eggs, the Internet has offered a multitude of alternatives, with craftsmen painting rocks and influencers tinging everything, potatoes.
“Finally use for potatoes of size B !!” A commentator wrote in response to a video published on Facebook.
But in the midst of emojis, lol and people who simply laughed “eh”, there was a lot of interest on the part of parents concerned about prices while the prices of American eggs increased again last month to reach a new record of $ 6.23 per dozen. Reliefs could happen: there is evidence that prices decrease and that grocery stores can start offering discounts to bring buyers into the door.
But even with all this, egg prices are higher than ever. This has the idea of coloring the potatoes or the rocks, which first went around after a peak of 2023 prices, making a resurgence.
A video that circulates shows a smiling mom filling cupcake boxes with a dye. His child then embarked marshmallows with toothpicks before slowly lowering them in the dye and proudly displaying the creations on a glass tray. Another influencer created marshmallows by plunging marshmallows into yellow food coloring, paddling dots of black frosting to create eyes and then tie the orange m&Ms for a nose and feet.
Other videos present buyers picking large bags of potatoes on the shelf, as well as an egg dye.
“Potatoes are roughly the only thing I can afford,” said an online commentator grateful. Another made it advance in a response to a single word: “cheaper”.
Kelly Friedl of Chicago Dyes Eggs for Easter with her two children each year. But because of the high prices of this year, she found an alternative: aluminum paper eggs. Cut the egg forms from the cardboard, wrap them in aluminum foil and you have shiny eggs to decorate and reuse.
“Our mother bought three dozen eggs,” said Friedl, 59, who heads a childcare company called Urban Infant. “I don’t think we’ve even eaten all the eggs, but it’s the memory of doing something with your mom.”
For many families like Friedl’s, egg dye does not so much concern eggs. This meant that hurting the refrigerator was not so serious when a dozen costs less than $ 2, as they have always done for years, outside the 2015 and current bird flu epidemic. But not now.
The PAAS, a supplier of egg dye kits, said that 94% of those who celebrate Easter were dying the eggs this year, 78% of families have said that they would be less than in recent years due to expenses.
The artisanal retailer Michaels said that their craft egg kits fly shelves. Sales of two of the kits increased by 20% compared to the same era last year, said Melissa Mills, main vice-president and director general of merchandising at Michaels.
Walmart, the largest retailer in the country, refused to comment on the sales of dyable plastic eggs and other alternatives, but said that it was not the first year that he had transported them. Among certain options for buyers: a cardboard of 12 plastic eggs that include four liquid dye packets and four bags of egg content and play-do Easter eggs.
Despite the change in tradition, Friedl’s family is looking forward to the holidays.
“We are a super cunning family and the most appreciated gift in our house is a gift that someone gave you,” said Friedl. “We meet every year and do eggs, and we love it.”
Dee-Ann Durbin, Caroll Hannah and Josh Funk contributed to this report. Raza reported to Sioux Falls, southern Dakota.
