A spike in bird flu cases has reduced the hen population
of ConsumerAffairsGrocery shoppers may have noticed egg prices are going up again. A lot.
When the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its November Consumer Price Index last week, it showed the price of eggs was up by 38% over the last 12 months. The average price of a carton of large Grade A eggs was $3.65 last month, up from $2.14 in November 2023.
Much of the increase has occurred in the last two months. According to Datasembly, which tracks thousands of grocery prices in real time, the cost of all types of eggs has risen by over 28% since October 20.
Economists point to two reasons for escalating egg prices. Demand for eggs always spikes around the holidays because of a sharp increase in baking.
Complicating things this year, supplies are shrinking as demand is increasing. Bird flu has flared up again, which has reduced the egg supply.
Bird flu is taking a toll
Two years ago a major bird flu outbreak caused egg prices to hit a record high, one of the factors fueling a spike in inflation. Egg prices peaked in early 2023, with a dozen Grade A eggs costing $4.82 a dozen.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the current outbreak is a continuation of the previous one that began in January 2022. The strain is particularly lethal.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) viruses have been detected in U.S. wild aquatic birds, commercial poultry and backyard or hobbyist flocks beginning in January 2022, the CDC said on its website. These are the first detections of HPAI A(H5) viruses in the U.S. since 2016.
The CDC says the virus has been detected in birds in 49 states and thus far has affected nearly 123 million birds.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2024-12-16 01:42:27
