Eggs prices keep climbing, supplies drop amid bird flu

SALT LAKE CITY — Who doesn't remember the toilet paper shortage of 2020, when shoppers were looking for the product at 5 a.m. and stores were limiting how much you could buy?

This year, Americans could find themselves on an egg hunt.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture notes some stores have been limiting how many cartons of eggs consumers can buy at one time. And in some refrigerator cases, the eggs themselves have gone missing, replaced by signs saying there's a shortage.

And if those clues weren't enough to say something is happening to this food staple, the price at the check stand gets attention. Egg prices are high. In December, the last month for which a national average is available, they averaged $4.15 a dozen nationwide, per the Consumer Price Index, continuing a recent upward trend.

In January 2024, a dozen large grade A eggs cost $2.52 on average. In November, the price was $3.65, according to the index, which is based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. USA Today reported that in parts of California, a dozen eggs cost $8.97 in early January.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday that "asking prices for next week's deliveries are trending higher on all sizes." Meanwhile, supplies are "light to moderate."

Consumers can blame bird flu for the disruptions in the egg market, experts say. Close to 40 million egg-laying hens that are part of the commercial egg supply chain died as a result of the influenza strain and also because of fires.

U.S. chickens were hit hard by avian influenza in 2022 and prices began to rise as an increasing number of chickens that had become ill were culled from flocks. Additionally, The Washington Post has reported that some states now require that eggs only be sold if they are produced by cage-free chickens. Egg producers say that raises the cost of eggs.

Even so, Egg Board CEO Emily Metz told the Post by email that there's been high demand for eggs. And reduced supply amid high demand typically means higher prices.

If avian flu continues to impact the hen population, as Department of Agriculture officials expect, prices are likely to continue their climb.

Are eggs safe to eat amid avian flu outbreak?

Does the virus pose a risk for consumers who eat eggs? Not likely, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For one thing, bird flu is easily detected in flocks; you can tell they're sick and the eggs of sick hens are not in the food supply chain. "Low" is how the FDA classified the risk that contaminated eggs make it to the grocery store. "And proper storage and preparation further reduce the risk," the agency said.

"For instance, when a case of highly pathogenic avian flu is detected in the U.S., the chance of infected poultry or eggs entering the food chain is low because of the rapid onset of symptoms in poultry as well as the safeguards in place, which include testing of flocks and federal inspection programs," FDA adds, noting zero evidence that illness can be transmitted to people by way of food that has been properly prepared.

So how do you properly prepare eggs during a bird flu outbreak?

Among the FDA's "Playing it safe with eggs" advice:

• Only buy eggs that are kept in a refrigerated case at the store.
• Look at them to be sure none of the eggs are cracked and that they are clean.
• After buying them, store your eggs in a refrigerator set at 40° Fahrenheit or below.
• Cook eggs until both yolk and white are firm. Don't eat runny scrambled eggs, either.
• Casseroles and other dishes that contain eggs should be cooked to 160° Fahrenheit.
• If recipes call for raw or undercooked egg, choose shell eggs treated for salmonella or pasteurized egg products.

As a side note, the FDA cautions against drinking raw milk, as traces of the H5N1 virus have been detected in some tested raw milk supplies. Milk that has been pasteurized has proven to be safe.

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