Egg Prices Keep Rising as Avian Flu Continues Affecting Supply

Egg prices have continued to rise over the last two years, which means prepping for holiday meals this year may cost you a little more if what you’re serving involves eggs. While inflation has pushed grocery prices steadily higher over the past 24 months, demand outweighing supply and an avian flu outbreak are putting additional pressure on egg prices.

In October, egg prices were up over 30% compared to the same time last year. The average price for a dozen eggs right now is $3.37, up from $2.07 in October 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Cases of avian flu, also known as bird flu, have been reported throughout the U.S. since January 2022, killing 108 million birds since that time, as reported by CNN. The outlet shared that “75 million of those were laying eggs, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. That’s impacted 8% of the nationwide supply.”

In October, cases began to spike again, and avian flu killed 2.8 million egg-laying birds in Oregon, Washington, and Utah, key egg-production states. After these losses, the production of eggs in 2024 and 2025 is now projected to be lower, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reducing their expectations by 5 million dozen for Q4. With lower supply, egg prices will likely continue to rise.

Egg Prices Affected by Avian Flu

The current avian flu outbreak has impacted over 108 million birds since it began more than two years ago. With that many birds affected, egg production has not kept up with consumer demand, leading to a rise in egg prices. Once a farm’s bird population is devastated, it can take months to rebuild flocks and ramp up production again.

States like California, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon have been especially hard hit by the disease. These states require eggs to be produced from free-roaming birds, meaning domesticated chickens are not confined to cages. Avian flu often infects farm bird populations through interaction with wild birds.

“It’s really hard to control that interaction between domesticated birds and wild birds,” said Chad Hart, a professor and agricultural economist at Iowa State University, per ABC News. “Some of those vectors have been opened up because we’re asking the egg industry to produce in ways that we didn’t ask them to before.”

The egg industry was also hit earlier this year with a recall involving possible salmonella contamination. In September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported numerous illnesses caused by salmonella related to cage-free eggs supplied by Milo’s Poultry Farms.