Egg Prices Might Finally Be Going Down

It's February, which means Easter is right around the corner, which means that eggs' big moment is almost here. But before you get ready to boil off a dozen for your famous Easter egg hunt and deviled eggs buffet, you'll probably want to sit down and consider the price. Egg prices have been in flux for a few years now. It started with the pandemic, when, according to AdWeek, Americans began buying 43 million more eggs than usual each week, mostly because people were cooking and consuming most of their meals, including breakfast, at home.

But the pandemic also brought about supply chain woes and grocery store shortages, which were the reasons egg prices kept changing in 2020. Then came inflation and the avian flu. Egg prices skyrocketed in 2022 and 2023, with CBS News reporting that prices were up 60% in January of 2023, and there are some reports that due to high costs, people are even attempting to smuggle eggs across the border. But it looks like things are about to calm down at least a little, so we can all enjoy our shakshuka and meringues again without having to take out a home equity loan to finance it.

Could the days of eggs as a luxury ingredient be coming to an end? New data from the USDA suggests that egg prices are, in fact, falling. Wholesale prices for cartons of eggs are down 15% in New York and 7% in the Midwest, though prices in California have remained the same. The USDA report also states that consumer demand for eggs is currently lower, due to the current price of eggs. But there isn't exactly a burgeoning supply to help reduce prices in response to lower demand, either: "Many producers are using the current period to rework their flocks ahead of the coming Easter demand period which is keeping production down and supplies tight," explains the report.

Inflation aside, avian flu has affected poultry producers in almost every state, and according to Food Economist David Ortega from Michigan State University, "There's a lot of uncertainty about how much longer this outbreak will continue" (via NPR). That means we might be stuck paying hand over fist for eggs for a while before prices go back to where they used to be. In the meantime, using egg substitutes when baking can help save a few pennies, and there are even plant-based egg options that won't be affected by the avian flu. Barring that, Taylor Swift is on the case — she and Trevor Noah joked at the Grammys that her passionate fan base could do practically anything with their numbers combined, including bringing down the price of eggs.