The Latest on Egg Prices

After months of egg shortages and surging prices linked to the latest avian flu outbreak, could relief finally be coming?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said no significant avian flu outbreaks have been detected in nearly two weeks, per an Egg Markets Overview last week. The respite has allowed producers to make progress in reducing shell egg shortages.

• The wholesale price of large cartoned shell eggs delivered to retailers dropped by $1.35 to $7.18 per dozen during the period, per the New York market for formula trading.
• Relief is also coming from imports. In January, the agency reported a 91% increase in shell eggs from Mexico and Turkey (827,000 dozen) to help ease supply strains.

Shoppers, however, are still feeling the squeeze. Though shell egg offerings in the dairy case are becoming more reliable, retail price levels have yet to adjust and remain off-putting to many, per the USDA’s report.

• Egg prices were up 10.4% year-over-year in February compared to 15.2% in January, according to the latest CPI data.

This is all playing out as a major egg-purchasing holiday is approaching: Easter (which will be observed late this year on April 20). The USDA believes the market could feasibly adjust prices down to “a more acceptable level” ahead of the holiday demand; if not, the industry risks dampening demand altogether. However, the American Egg Board feels differently:

“Supply and demand continue to drive wholesale prices for eggs, and as the Easter holiday approaches, increasing demand may cause a second, temporary increase in prices,” American Egg Board president and CEO Emily Metz said in a statement.

The update comes as the Department of Justice (DOJ) began an investigation into whether surging egg prices have been, in part, caused by large producers conspiring to raise prices or hold back supply. The USDA is also taking aim in its own way – via a $1 billion, five-pronged strategy to curb the spread of avian flu, protect the U.S. supply chain and reduce egg prices.

There appeared to be no shortage of eggs in terms of innovation at last week’s Natural Products Expo West, which brought a surprising amount of new, high-protein breakfast launches to the table, many of which featured eggs as the hero ingredient.

From Incredifulls’ new egg bite brioche-wrapped cupcakes to Blue Hour’s dehydrated scrambled eggs on-the-go, eggs were everywhere. They were also spotted as the hero in Egglife’s new protein wraps and pasta products in addition to snacks such as Todd’s Better Snacks’ egg white-based protein puffs.