America’s top egg producer and distributor revealed on Tuesday that its egg-laying hens at a mega-industrial farm in Kansas had been infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza. This is bad news as egg prices will likely rebound after crashing from record highs earlier this year.
On Tuesday, Cal-Maine Foods wrote in a press release that 684,000 laying hens, or approximately 1.6% of its total flock, have been affected by bird flu. The production facility is located in Kansas and has temporarily ceased operations to follow safety protocols instructed by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Meanwhile, data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows dozens of commerical flocks have been hit hard by the virus in recent months.
The latest bird flu outbreak has stirred concerns that egg prices – which had finally started to settle after reaching nearly $5.50 per dozen late last year – may start spiking again.
“Seemingly every day there is another announced infection site, which not only physically reduces the actual number of egg layers, but also casts a negative psychology over the entire egg market,” Kevin Bergquist, Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute Sector Manager, said in a written statement. “The reaction to supply stress is price increase.”
New data from Urner Barry, a market research firm that tracks wholesale food prices, shows its Urner Barry Egg Index has jumped from a low of 48 cents a dozen in May to as high as $1.75 in November. Prices were $4.65 in December 2022.
Urner Barry’s wholesale prices tend to lead as the USDA’s Grade A Egg Retail Per Dozen index appears to have bottomed around $2.
Has eggflation returned? If so, maybe now is the right time to think about raising egg-laying hens or stock up on storable, locally sourced, non-GMO food from trusted companies such as Heaven’s Harvest. Use promo code ‘blazing’ to get 10% off your order:
