Volatile egg prices have been a part of the US grocery shopping experience partly because of inflation, but also because of an avian influenza, which has infected or killed 136 million birds since the first outbreak in 2022. It could take months before the supply of egg-laying chickens returns to the normal level of around 318 million.
The steep drop in the number of egg-laying chickens has caused a sharp spike in wholesale egg prices. Grocery stores and restaurants are now paying around $7 for a dozen eggs – a record level, up from $2.25 last fall, according to Expana, a firm that tracks egg price.
At her confirmation hearing Thursday, Brooke Rollins, Trump’s nominee for secretary of agriculture, said among her top priorities was to “immediately get a handle on animal disease outbreaks,” though she did not provide details.