
What the Cluck? Where Are the Eggs (and Why So Expensive)?
Have you tried to purchase eggs at the grocery store lately? First of all, the shelves are pretty bare -- and what eggs are there are priced thorough the roof.
Cash Wise, Hy-Vee, Fresh Thyme, Target, Coborn's, Walmart, Lunds/Byerly's, Super One, Aldi, Fareway, Whole Foods; you name it, levels are low and prices are high.
The price of a dozen eggs in Minnesota is $5.10, with an eggflation (cost increase per dozen) of 116%. This is the highest egg price increase in the nation, with Iowa in second place at 67%.
So Why All the Eggcitement at the Store?
First and foremost, Avian Influenza (bird flu) that kicked up in 2022 is the primary culprit. The H5N1 strain has caused the biggest bird flu out break in United States history. Not only is it affecting domesticated chicken and turkey flocks, but it's becoming devastating for the wild bird populations as well.
Second, higher fuel costs are leading to higher transportation costs for eggs and everything else.
Free range, organic, grain fed, cage free, plain old white eggs -- it just doesn't matter, they are all way up in price.
Make Friends with Someone Who Has Chickens
My wife has a co-worker with chickens, and she always brings eggs into the workplace for co-workers to purchase. Besides the fact that they are creamier and better tasting than anything you could buy in a store -- she practices price gouging asking for two dollars a dozen. 😁
Some say that wholesale prices have started to fall, which should eventually lead to lower prices for consumers. However, others warn that prices may continue to rise if the bird flu outbreak persists.
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