By Antonio Otero. March 14, 2025. Do you like eggs? If the answer is yes, then get ready to break the bank. Since last year there has been a major outbreak of the Avian influenza virus (H5N1) commonly known as bird flu, that has affected millions of chickens at farms across the country. Many of these farms are in states such as California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Missouri. To try and prevent the virus from further spreading there were over 30 million chickens culled over the last few months. News broke in December of last year and new reports are being released almost daily about safety of eating eggs, if prices are still going up, and what the solution may be.
The New York Times reported in January 2025, “It could take months before the supply of egg laying chickens returns to the normal level of around 318 million, roughly the equivalent of one chicken per person.” The beginning of this whole ordeal dates back to early 2022 when the first report of wild birds infected with the H5N1 virus appeared. Since then, the virus has spread to other animals such as cows and other livestock, but the numbers have never been as alarming as right now. The CDC has reported that as of March 8, 2025, there have been 166,410,311 chickens infected with the H5N1 virus in 51 different jurisdictions around the country. One person has died after being infected with the H5N1 virus.
With so many chickens being killed it forces companies to drive up the cost of eggs since there is a smaller supply with an ongoing large demand.
All over the world eggs are eaten because they are a great source of protein and most importantly, they are –were – affordable. As of January 2025, the average wholesale price increase on eggs has exceeded $8.00 for a dozen which is up from $2.25 last year, The New York Times has reported. A wholesale price increase will significantly affect consumers by causing a rise in the retail price at grocery stores and any restaurants that use a large number of eggs. Some like the Waffle House have begun charging as much as a 50-cent fee extra for eggs, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. While everyone will be affected by the price jump it importantly affects marginalized communities that don’t have the funds to pay more than double the usual price for eggs.
A barista at a local coffee shop named Nicole showcases these feelings. “I feel that this would primarily affect marginalized communities who commonly have food deserts, which are when these communities don’t have basic supermarkets but just bodegas. Supermarkets are mainly in upper class neighborhoods, forcing underprivileged people to travel distances to obtain groceries. I have many friends and family who live in areas like this.”
It’s not only consumers that are tired of the price increase, but also employees. A supervisor at a Stop & Shop named Yessica had this to say. “The egg prices have increased twice in the past few months that I’ve seen. Work is becoming a little more stressful because customers are constantly coming up to us employees to ask why the prices have gone up and if there is anything we can do about it.”
Companies such as Stop & Shop have had to find new ways to work around the egg shortage to keep a supply on hand. “We constantly have a limited stock of eggs, so we try to not put them all out at once so there can be some each day,” says Yessica. “There are times we have run out and had no eggs for customers to buy.”
Some even blame the government for not coming up with a fast enough solution, especially when this administration had promised lower grocery prices. Nicole, the local barista, can attest to these feelings. “I was actually thinking of finding a local farm instead of getting eggs from the grocery store,” she says.
Egg companies are pleading for our government to come up with some sort of solution to end this problem and prevent another pandemic. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Egg companies are calling for a stronger government response to the bird flu outbreak with the virus roiling farms and sending egg prices soaring. They are also petitioning regulators to green light a vaccine that could be administered on farms.”
With the political climate so tense right now, many may question how much effort will be put in to stop the spread of this virus from happening and the prices from soaring to new heights.
