Current:Home > InvestSky-high egg prices are finally coming back down to earth -TradeWisdom
Sky-high egg prices are finally coming back down to earth
View
Date:2025-04-14 17:50:03
Egg prices soared in recent months, driving up grocery bills for many Americans, but buyers can see the sunny side now that the cost of a dozen eggs is dropping in stores across the country.
The spike in egg prices was caused by a number of factors, including an avian flu outbreak that affected tens of millions of birds across the country.
But the bird flu outbreak has eased, inflation has loosened its grip on the economy, and whipping up an omelet has suddenly become more affordable.
The USDA's most recent report on national egg prices puts the typical wholesale price of a dozen eggs somewhere between $0.99 and $1.39.
It's a far cry from the wholesale price of $5 for a dozen eggs in many places across the country earlier this year, according to department figures.
The most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that the average consumers would pay for a dozen eggs in April was around $3.27, the lowest it had been since September.
Phil Lempert, editor of the website SupermarketGuru.com, said that not only have egg prices fallen, but stores are no longer running out of the protein-rich commodity, as they had been in recent months.
"The good news is, if you go into a grocery store, you're going to see eggs. versus just a couple months ago when you weren't going to see eggs," Lempert told NPR, "and if you were, they were $5, $6, $7 a dozen."
Likely the main reason egg prices are coming back down is that the poultry industry is recovering from the bird flu outbreak.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 58 million birds have been affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the most recent outbreak, including commercial poultry as well as backyard chickens.
Lempert said it takes months for newly born hens, unaffected by the highly contagious and lethal bird flu, to be able to lay eggs that can then be sold to consumers.
Grocery prices can also be tied to inflation, which remained high in April but decreased slightly. Consumer prices increased 4.9% over the same period a year ago, but they dipped compared to prior months.
Egg prices may not fully return to previous levels anytime soon though, Lempert said, since egg producers will want to make up for lost earnings and other supply chain issues, such as labor shortages and trucking industry woes.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Has Conservative Utah Turned a Corner on Climate Change?
- FBI looking into Biden Iran envoy Rob Malley over handling of classified material, multiple sources say
- Southwest promoted five executives just weeks after a disastrous meltdown
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Clean Energy Loses Out in Congress’s Last-Minute Budget Deal
- Paying for Extreme Weather: Wildfire, Hurricanes, Floods and Droughts Quadrupled in Cost Since 1980
- In a Move That Could be Catastrophic for the Climate, Trump’s EPA Rolls Back Methane Regulations
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Indiana deputy dies after being attacked by inmate during failed escape
Ranking
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- A Sprawling Superfund Site Has Contaminated Lavaca Bay. Now, It’s Threatened by Climate Change
- Eminem's Role in Daughter Alaina Scott's Wedding With Matt Moeller Revealed
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Part Ways With Spotify
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Tesla's stock lost over $700 billion in value. Elon Musk's Twitter deal didn't help
- Fisher-Price reminds customers of sleeper recall after more reported infant deaths
- Sarah Silverman sues OpenAI and Meta over copied memoir The Bedwetter
Recommendation
Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
Goldman Sachs is laying off as many as 3,200 employees this week
Could Biden Name an Indigenous Secretary of the Interior? Environmental Groups are Hoping He Will.
Coco Austin Twins With Daughter Chanel During Florida Vacation
John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
China, India Emissions Pledges May Not Be Reducing Potent Pollutants, Study Shows
Michael Cera Recalls How He Almost Married Aubrey Plaza
Delaware U.S. attorney says Justice Dept. officials gave him broad authority in Hunter Biden probe, contradicting whistleblower testimony