The ongoing egg shortage may finally be coming to an end. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wholesale egg prices dropped to $3.00 per dozen last week, marking a 9% decrease from the previous week.
“The supply situation at grocery stores has significantly improved recently, with shelves fully stocked and a variety of choices available without purchase limits,” the USDA’s weekly egg market report stated.
This news comes as a relief to consumers who have faced higher prices and limited availability for months. In February, the cost of a dozen eggs reached a decade-high of $5.90.
The egg market’s recovery is largely due to a sharp decline in avian influenza cases. While the disease has affected 30 million egg-laying birds this year, outbreaks have been contained.
Bernt Nelson, an economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation, attributed the price drop to the reduced number of avian flu cases—only 2.1 million birds were affected in March compared to 23 million in January and nearly 13 million in February.
“U.S. poultry farmers have worked hard to strengthen biosecurity measures and will continue to protect their flocks,” Nelson said.
Additionally, demand for eggs has decreased as consumers adjusted to higher prices, giving suppliers the opportunity to rebuild their stock. This increase in supply has contributed to the falling prices.
“I think the egg crisis is over,” said Stew Leonard, Jr., owner of the Stew Leonard’s grocery store chain in the northeast. “We’ve got plenty of eggs coming in.”
Leonard noted that while he was selling eggs for $10 a dozen in December, they are now priced at $5.99 in his stores. “We’re back to low-priced eggs again. There seems to be plenty of supply,” he added. “Farmers in Pennsylvania are repopulating their flocks, and production is back up.”
However, it may take some time for these wholesale price drops to reflect on grocery store shelves, as noted by the USDA.
“Shelf prices are only now beginning to decline slowly,” the USDA report said. “Demand from egg product manufacturers remains light, as many have used the sluggish carton market to build supplies, boosting production to a three-month high.”
Despite the improvements, some grocery stores are still limiting purchases. Costco continues to restrict egg purchases to three per customer, and a Whole Foods in downtown Manhattan has also implemented purchase limits despite having stocked shelves.
Former President Donald Trump has claimed credit for the recent price drops, stating, “We got it down.” He also highlighted the administration’s $1 billion investment in combating avian flu, which coincided with the decline in wholesale egg prices starting in late February.
While egg prices have stabilized, they remain historically high. In February, prices rose 10.4% from January and were up 58.8% compared to the previous year.