Egg prices are going even higher. This time it’s avian flu and the holidays
CNN
Egg prices have risen steadily over the past two years. A spike in avian flu and the approaching holiday season are combining to make the problem even worse.
Egg prices have risen steadily over the past two years. A spike in avian flu and the approaching holiday season are combining to make the problem even worse. “Thanksgiving (dinner) is the same price this year as last year overall, except eggs. The one little spike that we’re seeing,” said Stew Leonard Jr., CEO of Steward Leonard’s, a family-run northeast grocery chain with eight locations. Egg prices at the grocery store were up 30.4% in October from the year prior, according to the consumer-price index. Increased demand from holiday cooking makes egg prices even more volatile. “The holidays are always the highest retail sales season of the year because if you think about your holidays, your baking, your cooking, you’re entertaining, all of those require extra eggs,” said Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board. And the supply of eggs is down, too. Avian flu, which is spread through wild birds, has been plaguing farmers and egg supply since January 2022. The virus has killed 108 million birds since then, and 75 million of those were laying eggs, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. That’s impacted 8% of the nationwide supply.