Egg Prices Fall, but Consumers May Not Find Relief — and Easter Is Coming

There’s a bit of mixed news making headlines regarding the ongoing saga of egg prices.

CNBC indicated that there may be some relief coming for U.S. consumers fond of eggs, with wholesale prices seeing a substantial 15% drop as of a March 7 update from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The wholesale price stood at $6.85 per dozen last week, a drop of $1.20 versus the prior price detailed during the Feb. 28 update.

“Demand for shell eggs continues to fade into the new month as no significant outbreaks of HPAI [highly pathogenic avian influenza] have been detected in nearly two weeks,” the USDA stated via its weekly update. “This respite has provided an opportunity for production to make progress in reducing recent shell egg shortages.”

Joe Maxwell, president of Farm Action Fund, told CNBC that the Trump administration’s recent move to probe egg producers regarding potential collusion or antitrust issues may have driven immediate results.

“The primary reason for the drop is actions taken by the administration’s Department of Justice to investigate the companies for possible antitrust violations,” Maxwell said.

“The dominant firms have so much control over the market that they can increase prices and lower prices almost at will,” he added.

On the other hand, per Axios, the reduced wholesale price doesn’t necessarily mean that consumers will see immediate benefits at store checkouts. According to the consumer price index (CPI) figures released March 12, egg prices ticked upward by 10% between January and February, and they soared by 59% from February 2024 to February 2025.

Karyn Rispoli, managing editor for eggs in the Americas for price-reporting service Expana, indicated that it could be some time before shoppers see lower prices on their preferred carton of eggs.

“There’s usually (at least) a two-to-three-week lag between wholesale and retail pricing, and since the market only started correcting last Monday, shoppers haven’t seen the impact of these lower prices at the grocery store just yet,” Rispoli said, per Axios.

“The main driver behind this drop is weakened demand, largely due to widespread purchasing restrictions and elevated shelf prices. Right now, consumers are still experiencing the peak of the market in terms of what they’re paying at checkout,” she added.

Furthermore, according to a Feb. 25 USDA report, egg prices are expected to increase by a further 41.1% over the course of 2025. The coming Easter holiday may help to spike prices yet again.

Easter Could Drive Egg Prices Higher, Experts Suggest

The incoming holidays of Passover and Easter could see demand spike for eggs, meaning higher prices once more. Passover begins April 12, while Easter falls on April 20 this year.

“We’re going into Easter season. This is always the highest price for eggs,” Agricultural Secretary Brooke Rollins said on March 11. “We expect [egg prices] to perhaps inch back up.”

Kevin Bergquist, Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute sector manager, agreed, while also saying that prices “will likely remain highly variable for the near future, but at a higher-than-usual level.”

“In the short term, we will likely see a continuation of high egg prices. The Easter season is just around the corner, and the demand for eggs is not abating,” Bergquist said.