The cost of eggs has more than doubled since the summer of 2023, and prices might not decline for a while, with an uptick in demand ahead of Easter.
The average price per dozen nationwide hit $4.15 in December. Shoppers in some parts of the country are already paying more than double the average price, or worse, finding empty shelves in their local grocery stores. Organic and cage-free varieties are even more expensive.
Costs could rise dramatically in the coming months, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts an increase of 20.3% in 2025.
Why have egg prices risen so much?
The main reason is ythe bird flu outbreak that started in 2022.
Anytime the virus is found on a poultry farm, the entire flock is slaughtered to help limit the virus’ spread. And with massive egg farms routinely housing more than 1 million chickens, just a few infections can cause a supply crunch.
The problem tends to linger because it takes months to dispose of all the carcasses, disinfect barns and bring in new birds.
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More than 145 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have been slaughtered since the current outbreak began, with the vast majority of them being egg-laying chickens.
Cage-free egg laws in 10 states may also be responsible for some supply disruptions and price increases. The laws set minimum space for chickens or cage-free requirements for egg-laying hens. They’ve already gone into effect in California, Massachusetts, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Michigan. At a Target in Chicago on Monday, a dozen large conventional eggs cost $4.49 but a dozen large cage-free eggs were selling for $6.19.
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Some grocery stores have even limited how many eggs shoppers can buy.
“It’s just robbery,” said Minneapolis resident Sage Mills, who bought eggs to bake a birthday cake last week. “Eggs used to be kind of a staple food for us, but now you know, you might as well just go out to eat.”