Why are eggs so expensive and when will prices fall?

Egg prices in the USA continue to rise, and grocery stores have problems keeping demand due to inventory and leaving the shelves empty in many areas.

What’s wrong with eggs?

The egg prices in the United States have increased due to a combination of disorders of the supply chain, a continuing outbreak of bird flu and a new regulatory changes.

Buyers report empty shelves in grocery stores and restaurants are fighting to keep up with the increasing costs.

Why is it important

Consumers who are used to paying around 2 US dollars for a dozen eggs in the past few months. The average costs for a dozen large eggs in the Grad-A reached $ 4.15 in December 2024, which rose to the previous month compared to the previous month. Some buyers encounter prices up to $ 8 per dozen. Many grocery stores enforce buying limits.

The US Agriculture Ministry (USDA) predicts that egg prices will increase by a further 20.3 percent in 2025, which further exhaust the budget budgets. While price increases are common due to the increased demand before Easter, this year’s increase is mainly driven by pension disorders.

Why do egg prices rise?

The egg prices have mainly increased due to the continued outbreak of bird flu, in which poultry farms in the United States were destroyed in the United States to prevent the spread of the virus and to reduce the care drastically. In addition, the disorders of the supply chain, the transport costs and the new state regulations, which require cage -free egg production, have contributed to higher prices.

What to know?

A strong pathogenic tribe of Vogel -Influenza (H5N1) is the root of the supply crisis. The virus led to 13.2 million commercial egg names in December alone.

Ricky Volpe, Professor of Agribusiness at Cal Poly State University, told CBS Moneywatch that “for about a year and a half the way of the frequency and severity of the outbreaks of bird flu in poultry and egg supply chains in the US . “

He added: “Everyone hopes that ‘Ok, this will be the last one, then we will normalize again.’ But we are not normalized again.

Another essential factor is transportation. The United States is faced with a continued lack of truck drivers, which leads to increased costs for cooling traffic – critically for the transport of eggs.

“The transport of the refrigerated car is currently an important pain point in the food supply chain. There is a lack of drivers, truck prices have expired, and eggs are of course very portable,” said Volpe CBS Moneywatch.

The cage -free egg laws in several states, including California, Michigan and Colorado, have also contributed to increasing costs. These laws set the minimal space requirements for layers of eggs, which reduces the total production capacity.

How much cost eggs in Costco and other shops?

The egg prices vary strongly among large retailers. In December 2024, a dozen eggs cost $ 4.15 nationwide, but prices were significantly higher in some areas. At Costco and other large food chains, organic and cage-free eggs sell for up to $ 6 to $ 8 per dozen. Some shops have even implemented purchasing limits due to lack of care.

What people say

Frustration is growing in grocery stores nationwide.

Minneapolis, Sage Mühlen, shared The Associated Press with: “It’s just robbery. Eggs used to be a staple for us, but now you know that you could just eat just as well.”

A Reddit user named U/Botella36 recently posted: “My Costco had a three-box limit today. It went out around noon.”

A TIKTOK user named @lustforadventuremom that was released on Wednesday about your trip to Costco: “Yes, I am ready to fight for a few eggs. I have three cake orders this weekend and I need eggs.”

David Anderson, professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University, said PBS in a story on February 2: “These are all time record prices (for eggs). So you know that we are in a historical context at the peak. We are the highest they have ever been.”

Dr. Kimberly Rollins, professor and head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Resource Economics at College for Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources At the University of Connecticut told Newsweek: “… it is the influenza. We always had cycles away. But the influenza would come and then it would go. It went away and it would not come back for a few years.

She continued: “Yes, there would be herds of chickens that would die, but it didn’t spread as much as now because it has only stayed without a break. Because it has stayed for so long, it enables more Distribution and because it can be spread more, we have more of it in the USA, which means that the supply shock comes from everywhere.

Jack BuffingtonAssociate Professor of Supply Chain Management University of Denvertold Newsweek: “Nevertheless, some other questions also contribute to the defect, including higher wages and work/immigration issues. Another important topic is that the states are the regulations for eggs (e.g. the ban on eggs in cage-free eggs “), which affects the production capacity of the United States.

What happens next

While the relief can finally be on the horizon, it is not expected immediately. The USDA projects that the egg prices will be decreased in the second quarter of 2025, with the costs return to around $ 2.50 per dozen by the middle of the year. However, this prediction depends on the containment of bird flu and the improvements in the supply chain.

Until then, consumers will probably continue to have high prices and limited availability, as the poultry industry is trying to recover from one of its worst crises for years.