Last year's rise in egg prices has been linked to the impact of bird flu on the supply chain.
Egg prices have increased by 28.1 percent in the past 12 months. According to to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average price for 12 large eggs was $3.20, according to the bureau's statistics.
The price hike was due in part to high demand for the product, but also due to an outbreak of avian influenza at a poultry farm in Colorado in July.
“Bird flu is definitely the biggest reason for the price hike,” said grocery industry analyst Phil Lempert. CNN.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as avian influenza, has affected more than 100 million people in 48 states since January 2022. data This was announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“If you think about how chickens are raised, it's a lot of chickens in a small space,” Lempert says. “If one chicken gets avian influenza, the whole flock has to be culled. That's the problem.”
Bird diseases have affected total egg production, and reduced egg production has partially led to higher prices.
Amy Hagerman, an associate professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University, said, “Tabletop egg-laying facilities tend to be very large, and a single facility can lose as many as 1 million or 2 million birds.'' “Because this virus is highly contagious.” , said NPR.
However, bird flu is not the only factor driving up egg prices.
Emily Metz, president of the American Egg Board, told NPR that “inflationary pressures” are playing a role, as fuel prices are rising, in addition to rising labor and packaging costs.
“Egg farmers are price makers, not price makers, and the volatility we're seeing reflects many factors that are completely outside of egg farmers' control,” Metz said.
