The great scarcity of eggs in the United States is getting worse.
With the avian flu decreasing millions of laying chickens, prices rose more than 15% in January compared to the previous month – the largest increase since 2015 – and 55% compared to last year, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report (BLS ) released on Wednesday. The jump helped boost US general inflation to the highest level since August 2023.
This is a bad news for US consumers, who are already facing higher costs for essential items such as food and fuels. New York Supermarkets, Chicago and Los Angeles began to limit egg purchase, while the Waffle House restaurant chain implemented an extra temporary rate of $ 0.50 per unit.
The situation reached a critical point. In a busy Whole Foods unit in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, egg shelves were completely empty on Tuesday night, making the purchase limit warnings useless.
“This not only affects household bakers and morning cafes, but also egg restaurants,” said Elizabeth Renter, a nerdwallet senior economist. “We saw last week that Waffle House, a cheap meal icon at dawn and in the morning, is adding an extra rate to deal with the impact of Avian flu.”
Egg prices have been beating record after record in recent months. The average cost of a dozen in the US reached $ 7.34 on February 7, according to USA Department of Agriculture Department (USDA). This value represents a 10% increase over the previous week and establishes a new historical record.
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Since the beginning of the outbreak of Avian flu in 2022, more than 100 million laying chickens have been lost, according to the United Egg Producers producers group. This led to a shortage that forced several supermarket chains, including Trader Joe’s and Costco Wholesale Corp., limiting purchases to one, two or three dozens per client.
The Trump government is developing a plan to face the problem of Avian flu, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday.
“Very soon, everyone will see a plan to contain this situation,” said Hassett.
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General inflation in the US rose 0.5% in January compared to the previous month, according to the BLS report.
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“Chain challenges in the supply chain can further pressure food prices in the short term,” said Andy Harig, Vice President of Taxation, Trade, Sustainability and Policies Development at IMF-The Food Industry Association. “The impacts of forest fires in the west, the cold in the midwest, and the continuous outbreak of aviary flu should be monitored in the coming months. It is also left to know how possible rates can affect the price of food and household products. ”
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