‘Egg-stream’: Egg prices are doubling
BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) – If you’ve been eating eggs, you probably know that you’re now paying historic prices. Egg prices have doubled since November and are nearly 60 percent more than last year.
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And depending on where you shop or what brand you buy, you could be paying anywhere from $5.00 to $6.00 or even $7.00 for a carton of eggs.
“I think it’s ridiculous. I mean—they must be golden chickens or something—it’s just too expensive,” stated Guercio & Sons employee Cheryl Fabinho.
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At Guercio’s on Grant Street on Buffalo’s West Side, jumbo eggs are $6.09, but the store says it expects prices to start to drop.
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“You know when you talk like $6, $7, $8 for a dozen eggs — that’s a lot,” said Fabinho.
“It was the thing that was a very profitable item for us that allowed us to keep our prices competitive – like they took it away and that’s huge,” replied Caren Paterniti, owner of The Howling Rooster.
High egg prices have bottomed out breakfast at The Howling Rooster on Englewood Avenue in Tonawanda.
Paternity told me that the price of eggs for her has now gone up by 500 percent.
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“We started at $20 a case, and now I think we’re at an all-time high of $90. They’re kind of sliding down a little bit, but it’s definitely killing us because we don’t just serve eggs. We also use them in a lot of recipes,” Paternetti explained.
“How many eggs do you go here at the restaurant?” Buckley asked. “Oh my God — my God — maybe 12 a week. We can get through five of them on Sunday alone,” Paternetti replied.
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One of the biggest reasons for the high price of eggs is the bird flu, which affects about 57 million chickens.
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A statement I received from the American Egg Board noted that egg farmers usually cannot set the price of eggs and, in addition to avian influenza, “several factors” including inflation, supply chain issues, cost of feed, grain, labor, diesel, and freight also affect the price. egg farms.
“Affordable food is important to everyone, and as one of the highest quality proteins available, eggs remain a great value. While egg farmers usually can’t set the price of eggs, they do everything they can to cut costs and maintain a steady supply of the nutritious eggs Americans depend on.” she reflects. Prices are several factors beyond a farmer’s control, including inflation and supply chain challenges related to the cost and availability of feed, grain, labor, diesel fuel and freight.
In addition, intermittent supply disruptions due to avian influenza, which affected egg farms in several states, as well as broiler and turkey farms, had temporary effects on commodity prices. Egg farms maintain strict biosecurity to protect the chickens and ensure they can meet customer demand, but sporadic supply disruptions affect prices.
The good news is that egg farms are recovering quickly. In fact, most of the egg farms affected by HPAI this year have recovered and are back producing eggs. Nationally, according to the USDA, we now have about 6% fewer laying hens than we might normally do, so egg farms are recovering quickly, but we’re not all the way back yet.
Egg farmers work closely with each other and their customers to ensure everyone gets the eggs they need. With more than 300 million slaughtered chickens in this country—nearly one bird for every American—an isolated deficiency is quickly being rectified. While no one can predict the future, egg sales have remained strong even with temporary price increases. People love eggs, and as one of the highest quality protein sources available, consumers know eggs are still a good value.”
American Egg Board (AEB)
Right now, at The Howling Rooster, the owner and staff are working to find the lowest prices for eggs from three different providers.
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“The CEO and the chef are very attentive as they compare the prices with the three of them and the best ones because all the three suppliers are very good,” noted Paterniti.