Sacramento: Us Egg Prists have Skyrocked to unprecedented levels, with Wholesale Costs Reaching Over $ 8 per dozen as highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Commercial Laying Flocks Across Multiple States.
According to the US department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Chickens and Eggs Report Released On Manday, The Nation’s Egg-Laying Hen FlocK Dropped to 363 Million Birds in January 2025, Down 3.8 Per Cente And the lowest level since 2016.
Usda Data Showed that January Egg Production Totalled 8.86 Billion Eggs, A 4.2-PER SENT DECREASE from January 2024 and the lowest monthly production since the Previous Major OutBreak of Bird Flu in 2016.
The USDA’s Egg Markets OverView Indicated that Shell Egg Shortages, Once Limited to Certain Regents, Now IMPACT MOST MAST MARKETS. The report notes that “Spot market bids are routinely outpacing offers, often by as much as a factor of 10, and prices are setting records on a daily basis”.
By February 21, Pris Had Climbed Even Higher, With the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service Reporting Whysale Pries for Large White Eggs Delivered to retailers in new york at 8.47 dollars… Dozen. In California, Benchmark Prisis for Large Eggs Reached 9.22 dollars per dozen.
The crisis stemmed from ongoing outbreaks of hpai in commercial chicken flocks. The USDA’s Egg Markets Overview Report Indicated that as of Mid-February, 36 Confirmed OutBreaks in Nine States Had Resulted in the Loss of 26.8 Million Birds in 2025 Alone.
Most of these losses-19 Million Birds or 71 per cent-Occurred in Conventional Caged Systems, with another 7.8 million (29 per cent) in Cage-FRE SYSTEMS.
Theose losses represent 10.4 per cent of the conventional cained layer flock and 7.7 per cent of the non-organic cage-free flock that existed at the beginning of 2025, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The impact was particularly in January, with the USDA reporting that approximately 18.8 million table egg layers were lost
Bernt Nelson, An American Farm Bureau Federation Economist, Estimated that 43 Million Birds was lost in january and februry alone, repenting 25 per cent of all birds affected since the outbreak began in 20222222222222222222222222222222
Adding to the industry’s challenges, the USDA Fired Several Key Employees Working on the Federal Response to the Avian Flu OutBreak.
The egg shortage is having significant ripple effects through the food industry. Waffle house was the first national restaurant chain to introduce a temporary surcharge earlier this month, charging an additional 50 cents per egg.
Meanwhile, Denny’s, an american diner-style restaurant chain for its 24/7 service, has been adding egg surcharges at some of its more than 1,700 locations. Many grocery stores, Including Trader Joe’s, Costco and Sam’s Club, have also also also also also implemented Purchase Limits Limits to Stretch Existing Supplies.
For Consures, The Crisis means Higher Prisies and Potential Availability issues. The Usda Reported that Grocers are Limiting Consumer Purchases to Stretch Existing Supplies, but this has “heightened consumer awareness of the egg shortage, leading to an increase in opportunity bill Further Reduces available supplies “.