While other meats, poultry, and fish items have increased by 8.8% in the last year, the price of eggs has seen a staggering 39.8% uptick due to the bird flu.
Avian influenza, or bird flu, is highly contagious among birds and can be spread through their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces, according to the CDC.
In the fall, the United States saw record-breaking numbers of bird flu outbreaks in wild birds and poultry. As of today, nearly 58 million poultry have been affected, including over 40 million egg-laying hens.
The Dallas Express reported last month on the extent of the outbreak on commercial farms in Nebraska, where 6.8 million birds were killed due to exposure to the flu, and in Iowa, where 15.5 million birds were culled.
Texas, for its part, confirmed its first case in early April, and the virus continues to threaten the local industry.
This pressure on the market, coupled with inflation and persistent consumer demand, has led egg prices to rise to the highest they have ever been.
For a dozen large Grade A eggs in 1980, the average price across the country was 84 cents.
Today, a dozen white eggs from the Walmart Superstore in Dallas could set you back $4.46.
Long considered a staple for most American households, the impact of this price hike is significant.
Suppose a large family consumes five cartons of eggs a week. Last year, with a dozen eggs costing an average of $1.67, this would have amounted to just over $434 spent on eggs per year. With a roughly 40% increase in price this year for an average cost of $2.33 per dozen, this family would have spent $606 to consume the same number of eggs, as the Washington Examiner reported.
Supermarkets are aware of this strain on consumers and some have reportedly cut their profits to keep their egg prices competitive.
“We are trying to keep eggs relatively accessible,” said Dan O’Neill, director of center store and perishables at Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets in Illinois.
According to The Wall Street Journal, some suppliers have projected egg price decreases by February or March of next year, although production might be strained due to the cold weather.
A report from the American Farm Bureau Federation suggests that the new year will not ring in an end to the high prices.
While a decline in the number of detections of bird flu was seen between the spring and the fall of this year, the report says that “pressure will keep prices high with supplies forecasted lower and demand forecasted higher for 2023.”
Has there ever been a definitive answer, as to what came first, the chicken or the egg?