The rapid spread of the bird flu outbreak in the United States is pushing the price of eggs to new highs despite the overall cooling of food cost inflation since its peak in 2022, right in time for the holiday baking season.
The average cost of a dozen Grade A large eggs increased by 8.5% in two months according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from $3.37 in October to $3.65 in November.
That’s in part because the egg-laying hen flock decreased by 3% since last year, down to 315 million birds, and egg production is down by 4% according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
While food prices overall increased by about 2.4% since last year, according to the consumer price index, the price of eggs alone has increased by 37.5%.
Bird flu, or H5N1, has been a growing problem among wild migratory birds in the US since 2021, making industrialized poultry flocks vulnerable to the disease as well.
