Bird flu wreaked havoc on the price of eggs in 2022, and it looks like the pain will continue well into 2023.
The Department of Agriculture is reporting a lower-than-usual egg inventory at the end of the year along with increased demand due to the holidays causing a 210% price spike the week before Christmas compared to a year ago. Prices have fallen somewhat since then, but the main priority is to restock chicken farms.
Bird flu began in February 2022 and lasted much of the year, killing 43 million hens. The number now could be as high as 58 million birds, including turkeys, Successful Farming reported.
The price-tracking site Expastian listed the average national price of a dozen large eggs at $4.20. But prices are much higher in Honolulu at $8. San Francisco and New York City aren’t much better at $7 a dozen.
Several states have passed laws requiring only the sale of cage-free eggs, which adds to the cost.
COLORADO GOES CAGE FREE FOR EGGS, JOINING TREND IN OTHER STATES
Consumers really began noticing the price hike in California during the month of August, when shelves went bare and signs urged a ration of one or two cartons per customer. In July alone, the cost had risen 47% as Californians began to feel the effects of the cage-free law that went into effect in January 2022.
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This year, Colorado joined other states with cage-free laws on the books or pending, including Washington, Oregon, Michigan, Nevada, Utah, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
