This is Why Eggs are So Expensive Right Now

California is selling a carton of eggs for $7.37 right now.

You might have noticed that the prices of many staples in your kitchen have risen, including butter, breakfast cereals?, and snack foods. However, these increases pale in comparison with the eggs.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s January Consumer Price IndexCost of a dozen eggs increased by 59.9% in the last year. The price also rose 11.1% from November toDecember.

The average price A dozen eggs cost $4.25 in December compared to $3.59 in November, and $1.79 by December 2021. However, eggs can be more expensive in some parts of the country. In California, for instance, one carton costs $4.25. can cost an eye-watering $7.37. 

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Steve Reed, an economist at the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, told Yahoo FinanceThe December household grocery bills were almost entirely driven by eggs. “If you take out eggs, it is because you have removed eggs.” [the ‘food at home’ category], it would have been virtually flat,” he said. “Eggs were over 90% of that [cost] increase.” 

There are a number of factors that have combined to make eggs more expensive — the biggest being the ongoing bird flu epidemic. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a statement saying that nearly 58 million birds have been infected in 46 states. Any infected bird — and most of them are chickens and turkeys — must be slaughtered, and that has affected the available egg supply. The total number of egg-laying birds has declined as a result. has decreased By 5% 

Interview with The New York Times, Emily Metz, the president and chief executive of the American Egg Board, said that bird flu wasn’t the only reason that eggs are more expensive. “Is avian flu a factor? Yes,” Metz said. “Is it the only factor? No, and I would argue it’s not even the biggest factor in where these prices are right now.”

Metz said that higher prices were due to rising fuel costs, increased chicken feed and egg packaging. No matter the reason, restaurant owners also have to deal the sticker shock that comes along with each egg order. David Stone, owner of The Waveland Cafe, Des Moines, Iowa said that his weekly egg supply has gone up from $750 to $2,500. “Unfortunately, in our industry, the breakfast portion of our menu probably is between 70% and 75% of everything we serve,” Stone told the Des Moines Register. “And that’s basically all eggs,”

And the owners of Denver’s Noisette restaurant say that, for now, they’re trying to cover the costs without increasing their menu prices. “This just kind of came as a shock a week and a half ago when we saw prices increase that much,” Lillian Cho, one of the co-owners, admitted to the Denver Post. “I’m not sure how much consumers know what’s going on, so it’s difficult for us to raise prices because we’re already perceived as an expensive restaurant, and if we raise prices, it could deter guests from coming in and trying our food.”