Egg prices continue to crack record highs: USDA
Egg prices continue to crack record highs, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
In a report published over the weekend, the USDA stated that wholesale egg prices rose by $0.40 in the past 30 days, which means that the cost to distributors was $7.44 a dozen.
But the full impact of the wholesale price spike has not yet hit consumers: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found the national average price for eggs to be $4.95 a dozen for shoppers in January.
That's 53% higher than last year and $0.81 higher than it was in December 2024. Previously, the highest consumer price for eggs was $4.82 a dozen in January 2023, according to the report.
The price is expected to rise in the coming weeks, as the nation's shortage continues and distributor costs are increasingly passed along to consumers.
The USDA credits the ongoing shortage to the rising number of bird flu cases impacting farms.
"Offerings are very light to light with little chance for improvement in the near-term as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continues to impact productive flocks," the USDA said in the report, which was published Feb. 14.
Bird flu outbreaks prevent farmers from rebuilding flocks of healthy chickens to produce eggs, forcing supplies to remain "very light to moderate," the USDA said.
"Supply remains unbalanced and dependent upon the impact of HPAI on source farms as marketers whose regular suppliers have been impacted are working to find new short-term supply sources in a very competitive market atmosphere," the USDA said.
The USDA confirmed that shell egg availability "remains limited and inconsistent in many retail markets with affects grocers employing steps to limit consumer purchasing to stretch their existing supplies." Many shoppers are witnessing this firsthand, with many retailers -- including Sprouts Farmers Market, Costco and Trader Joe's -- putting up signs that limit how many eggs each customer can purchase in a single visit.
"Due to ongoing issues with the supply of eggs, we are currently limiting egg purchases to one dozen per customer, per day, in all Trader Joe's stores across the country," a representative of Trader Joe's confirmed to "Good Morning America" last week.
According to the USDA's Plant Health Inspection Service, 151 flocks tested positive for bird flu, also known as avian influenza, in the last 30 days.
When a bird becomes infected with the virus, the animal needs to be culled and the eggs need to be destroyed, leading to a decrease in the overall number of eggs produced in the country. With a limited quantity of eggs available, prices were expected to rise, according to the USDA.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been a total of 68 confirmed human cases of bird flu across the country, including a woman in Wyoming who was hospitalized last week. The woman had underlying health conditions and was likely exposed through direct contact with an infected poultry flock at her home, according to the Wyoming Department of Health.
Most human cases of bird flu have been mild, and patients have fully recovered. One death has been reported: a Louisiana resident over the age of 65 who had underlying medication conditions.
The CDC noted that the current risk to the general public is low and that there is no evidence of person-to-person spread.
ABC News' Youri Benadjaoud, a member of the Medical Unit, contributed to this report.
