Egg prices tick up in US amid efforts to halt spread of bird flu

Price for a dozen eggs has increased by more than 60 percent over the last year as millions of birds killed.

Egg prices are rising once more as a lingering outbreak of bird flu coincides with the high demand of the holiday baking season in the United States.

But prices are still far from the recent peak they reached almost two years ago. And the American Egg Board, a trade group, says egg shortages at grocery stores have been isolated and temporary so far.

“Those are being rapidly corrected, sometimes within a day,” said Emily Metz, the Egg Board’s president and chief executive officer.

The average price for a dozen eggs in US cities was $3.37 in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was down significantly from January 2023, when the average price soared to $4.82. But it was up 63 percent from October 2023, when a dozen eggs cost an average of $2.07.

Sometimes, supermarkets may be to blame for price spikes beyond the levels of inflation.