In the United States, egg prices have increased in recent weeks. Experts say they are likely to climb more because an epidemic of avian flu deceased herds across the country.
Although avian flu has been in the United States since 2022, the largest epidemic started in October and still affects millions of hens. About 14.7 million chickens producing eggs have been affected by avian influenza since the beginning of January, exceeding the number of hens affected in all 2023, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“Based on the quantity of birds that we have lost in recent months, and the chicken population, there is simply not enough production to support the amount of the demand we have”, said Karyn Rispoli, director general of eggs at the Expana price monitoring company. “We are now at a time when we are really in a shortage.”
In December, the number of table eggs produced fell 4.5% compared to the same period last year, according to the USDA. With more hens infected with avian flu in January, the number of eggs will likely continue to drop.
Avian flu specifically affects hens that produce table eggs because they are kept alive longer than flesh chickens, which are used for meat, making them more sensitive to infection during their life. American centers for the control and prevention of diseases indicate that human infections of avian flu are rare.
The wholesale price of a dozen big fine eggs has climbed up to 40 cents per week while farmers have trouble producing enough eggs to meet demand. As of January 24, the wholesale price of a dozen important eggs was $ 7.24 in New York, $ 6.84 in the Midwest and $ 8.35 in California.
But consumers often end up paying a different price at the store. Many grocery stores sell eggs at prices lower than their wholesale cost, taking a loss to ensure that customers return to the store for other items. Although the wholesale basis basically in mid-January were about $ 5.80, the average price of eggs in stores was just more than $ 4, compared to around $ 2.50 a year ago.
However, people are starting to see prices increase in certain stores. Social media videos show that people have shocked to see $ 15 of egg boxes. “I’m going to have to start to resell”, jokes a Tiktok user in a video.
The higher egg prices affect in particular restaurants and bakeries, which often have to buy large eggs.
“We are known for our French macaroons … and also these large plush cookies that are filled with cheesecake or nutella – all the articles that are heavy with eggs,” said Henry Crawford, co -owner of Sugar Bakery, whom he directs with His wife, Ela, in Santa Cruz, California. The bakery uses approximately 800 eggs per week for its desserts. Sixty eggs have been about $ 13 for the company, but in recent weeks, the price has reached $ 19.
“It makes rooms far lower,” said Crawford, adding that it is difficult to increase prices for customers. “People get used to paying a certain price.”
Many Americans could feel a feeling of already seen when they read price labels on egg shelves at the grocery store. The prices of eggs fell in December 2022, after an earlier epidemic of avian flu, but finally returned after the demand for the holiday season.
But this year, prices have not yet dropped. “The request for detail in January did not really drop so much,” said Rispoli. People have “accustomed to higher egg prices, so it does not really act as a means of deterrence”.
The end of the current avian flu epidemic will be difficult. Egg producers have put pressure on the federal government to help finance the research and biosecurity of vaccines to combat the epidemic. The virus can spread from wild birds to domestic hens, and although the disease is known to spread from a bird’s bird contact, scientists still do not know if the infections are suspended in the air.
If a single chicken in a herd is infected, the whole herd becomes at risk of infection. Orders of new chicks can take up to a year and a half to fill up, which means that it is not clear when the number of egg -producing hens will return to normal levels.
Egg prices can become a sticky political point as Donald Trump and a republican majority return to Washington. When a journalist asked the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on the rise in egg costs on Wednesday, Leavitt blamed Biden administration at high prices.
“This is an example of the reason why it is so incredibly important that the Senate moves quickly to confirm all the candidates of President Trump,” she said.
