Egg-Scuse me, how much is this carton?
Egg-Scuse me, how much is this carton?
Shoppers across the nation have been struggling for months to keep up with the increased costs of eggs.
The costs keep increasing, up to 60% from the year before in December. Last year, the average cost for a dozen huge Grade A eggs in the United States was $1.93 in January. However, when the demand for eggs increased by December, the cost increased to $4.25.
The high costs triggered a meme of a “He went to Kroger,” with an egg in place of an engagement ring in the jewelry advertisement, “He went to Jared.”
Here is when we can anticipate the costs of eggs to decline and what we can do for the moment.
How much is the price of eggs?
According to the Consumer Price Index data, the cost of eggs jumped about 11% in December from the month earlier. The average cost for a dozen massive Grade A eggs in December reached $4.25, up from $1.79 the year earlier, conforming to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Why are eggs so costly?
Three reasons:
- growth in the demand for holidays
- more manufacturing prices for farmers,
- and an outburst of bird flu, a highly infectious virus that can be dreadful to poultry like chickens and turkeys.
As of December, about more than 43 million egg-laying hens have been lost since the breakout started in February 2022, according to the U.S. Department of agriculture.
The virus has resulted in the deaths of about more than 57 million birds in the hundreds of business and garden flocks across 47 states since February, thereby exceeding 50 million birds lost in the outburst of 2015 avian influenza, conforming to the U.S. Department of agriculture.
“We have seen infections get into a flock, where they look perfectly fine one day, and then the next day, they’re all dead,” said Gregory Martin, a poultry educator at Penn State Extension. “That’s how quickly this thing moves. And so the losses are very, very severe.”
Martin conveyed that bird flu is not a foodborne disease. Hence poultry and eggs from grocery stores are suitable for consumption.
What is the supply of eggs short?
States like California and Colorado have announced empty egg shelves at grocery stores. Meanwhile, customers in states like Massachusetts and Arizona have used their poultry.
“We are seeing some very, very temporary, isolated, and hyperlocal shortages,” mentioned Emily Metz, Chief Executive Officer of the American Egg Board trade group. “We have not seen widespread shortages. We have not seen panic buying or anything like that.”
Do you think the cost of the eggs will decline?
Maro Ibarburu, the associate scientist of the Egg Industry Center at Iowa State University, conveyed that when egg costs decline, it is difficult to predict and depends on demand and supply.
“In the absence of new cases (of avian influenza), the production of eggs will gradually increase over the next several months, and that should help with the market,” as mentioned by Ibarburu. “But the demand is also an important factor.”
Following the personal finance service The Ascent, you can save your finances by removing coupons and differentiating deals online to shop for the lowest cost.
Can I freeze the eggs in their shell?
The freezing of eggs in their shells shouldn’t be done, conforming to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
For freezing eggs, strike yolks and whites together. You can also put the egg whites and yolks separately on ice, even though whites freeze better when compared to yolks, the USDA mentions.
“To freeze yolks, mix four yolks with a pinch of salt and one and a half teaspoons of sugar or corn syrup,” as said by the USDA.
Ensure to utilize your frozen eggs within a year.
