Egg prices are rising more than 64% in some states
Poultry farmers across the country are on edge as highly pathogenic bird flu is on the rise in the United States, with more than 24 states affected since the start of 2022.
egg prices It continues to rise, adding more pressure on consumer wallets.
In December, egg prices rose the most in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, according to retail data company Datasembly, which collects real-time data from more than 200 retailers across North America including Wal-Mart, Kroger, and Target.
A 12-egg cartoon is up more than 64% in all of the above states, according to the retail data firm. That compares to the 18% increase in states like Oregon, California and Washington, according to the data.
Does rising food costs change our eating habits?
Cartons of eggs are placed in the refrigerator at a supermarket on January 8, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (I RYU/VCG via Getty Images/Getty Images)
In November, grocery prices rose 12% over a year ago, according to the Consumer Price Index. However, egg prices outperformed the general index and showed the highest annual jump for all food categories, up 49.1% compared to last year.
CPI numbers The month of December, which will be announced on Thursday, will provide greater insight into the skyrocketing cost of eggs.
However, a dozen first-class whites averaged $3.59 in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A year ago, the average cost for the same animation was $1.72, according to Labor Department data.
The significant increase in costs was due to higher labor, fuel and feed costs, as well as repeated outbreaks of avian influenza that disrupted production.
WALMART CEO Doug McMillon weighs in on the impact of inflation on food prices
Red Star hens roost in their pen on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at the historic Wagner Farm in Glenview, Illinois. Anyone who is going to buy a dozen eggs these days should be prepared to pay. This is due to outbreaks of lingering avian influenza, along with the high incidence of f (AP Photo/Erin Hooley/AP Images)
Bird flu
Egg farmers were hardest hit by bird flu, which affected 58 million birds over the past year. More than 43 million of those birds, all killed to control the virus, were laying hens.
Highly recurring avian influenza (HPAI) [Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza] The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a report last week that the outbreak continued to disrupt normal production and marketing patterns through November, negatively impacting export business.
Record egg prices are starting to ease, the USDA said in its report, although “it will take some time before this is reflected in the case of dairy.”
Markets may be unable to appreciate the risk of high inflation, BlackRock warns
| ribbon | protection | else | they change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| calm | CAL-MAINE FOODS INC. | 52.50 | -1.11 | -2.07% |
Cal-Maine Foods, the largest producer and distributor of fresh eggs in the United States, said last month that it was closely monitoring the current outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu that was first detected in commercial flocks in the United States in February 2022.
“The highly pathogenic avian influenza pandemic has surpassed the previous 2014-2015 outbreak in the number of chickens infected in the United States, and HPAI continues to circulate throughout wild birds in the United States and abroad,” the company said in a press release.
Calmen noted that there were no positive tests for HPAI at any of its owned or contracted production facilities as of December 28, 2022.
“The Company believes that outbreaks of HPAI will continue to exert downward pressure on the overall egg supply, and the duration of these effects will depend in part on the timing of replenishment of the American laying hens flock,” said Kal-Maine.
The company posted record quarterly sales, up 110% to $801.7 million for the second quarter of the fiscal year ending November 26, 2022.
Net income was $198.6 million.
Get FOX action on the go by clicking here
Half-empty shelves of eggs are seen in a supermarket on January 8, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (I RYU/VCG via Getty Images/Getty Images)
For now, “eggs remain a competitively priced protein to other animal proteins.” The US Department of Agriculture said.
This comes at a time when the demand for the product remains high.
“As the new year begins, few consumers are looking to adjust their food choices to support fresh, healthy lifestyle decisions, and eggs remain a popular choice,” the agency added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.