The average price is up 40% in less than three months
of ConsumerAffairsThe price of eggs is soaring again, mainly due to the latest outbreak of bird flu. The virus has infected flocks in all 50 states, resulting in the deaths of millions of chickens.
Egg prices have spiked to nearly $9 a dozen in California and some other states a staggering 70% increase from the year before. The situation is so dire in California that some Bay Area grocery stores have imposed purchase limits on eggs. A Whole Foods in Palm Desert was out of eggs this weekend.
Restaurants that serve omelets and baked goods are struggling to survive as as the price for a case of eggs has shot up from $20 to as much as $150 in some areas.
Its fking killing me, Cara Haltiwanger, owner of Los Angeles-based breakfast sandwich spot Calabama,told SFGATE. Im an egg restaurant. I have to buy eggs no matter what, you know?
According to the most recent Consumer Price Index, The average nationwide retail price of eggs in the U.S. has risen 38% since November 2023. However, much of the price surge has occurred in recent weeks.
However, prices monitored by Datasembly suggest the CPI significantly undercounts the price increase. According to Datasembly, the average price of eggs bottomed on Oct. 20, 2024. It has risen 40% since then.
The graph below tracks egg prices using Datasemblys price index. The egg price index was 152.1 on Oct. 20. It has since soared to 213.5.
According to Datasembly, these states have seen the largest three-month increase in egg prices:
| California | +58% |
| Nevada | +56.3% |
| Oregon | +51.1% |
| Washington | +47.5% |
| Alaska | +37.8% |
Can egg prices go even higher? In an interview with CNBC, Brian Moscogiuri, vice president of Eggs Unlimited, an egg supplier, said its possible egg prices could reach record highs before they start to come down.
Egg prices last spiked in the closing days of the COVID-19 pandemic and bird flu was again the main reason. Grade A egg prices reached a high of $4.82 a dozen in January 2023, rising from $1.93 in January 2022.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2025-01-13 01:57:23
