SCRANTON, Pa. (WBRE/WYOU) — You may notice during your next trip to the grocery store that egg prices are much higher than usual. The wholesale prices for eggs is up nearly three times over this time last year, according to NBC News. At one point, the cost of a dozen eggs exceeded $3 for only the second time in history.
As of Friday, large grade A white eggs ran between $2.80-$2.89 per dozen on average, according to the USDA’s daily Midwest regional egg report. That’s more than double what they cost in March, according to CNN.
The recent increase is blamed, in part, on a bird flu outbreak that’s led to the death of millions of egg-laying birds. Supply chain issues and high feed costs have only compounded the problem.
Over the weekend, a grocery store in the Dallas area had a sign that labeled the issue a “national egg shortage.” The sign acknowledged the price increase and said, “we will continue to work with our suppliers to improve availability.”
The price change will hurt businesses that use large amounts of eggs, but the average customer may feel the pinch as well.
“Usually we buy a dozen a week,” said Pennsylvania shopper Tom Enkulenko..
Some shoppers at Gerrity’s Supermarket in Scranton, Pa. said they’re considering cutting back on their egg purchases.
“By far, this is the highest prices we’ve ever seen on eggs. Right now, we are sitting at double the price,” said Joe Fasula, co-owner of Gerrity’s Supermarkets.
Fasula fears these high prices might be here to stay for a while saying, “I don’t think anybody knows when that could end.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported grocery prices could go up another 4% before 2022 comes to a close.
According to the CDC, the risk to the general public from the avian flu outbreak is very low and there are no food safety issues.