It’s strange how egg prices seem to be constantly soaring up. Each year, inflation hits eggs harder than anything else in the grocery store. The thing is that it isn’t inflation; it only plays a fraction of the part in the prices. Bird flu epidemics can fluctuate egg prices in the blink of an eye. It’s gotten so bad that businesses must add a 50-cent charge for a single egg when ordering eggs in a food establishment, and grocery stores allow customers to buy only a dozen eggs per visit.
The Avian Bird Flu dates back to 1878 in Northern Italy. In the late 19th century, they identified the virus and its origin. The Bird Flu is a pathogenic virus that spreads through birds’ saliva, fecal matter, and nasal sections. Sometimes, the virus is highly pathogenic and can be lethal to birds. It may be mild, which can harm the bird.
The primary issue is that this virus infects chickens, the most essential bird for egg production. Millions of people worldwide may rely on chickens for their food or breakfast. This virus has killed tens of millions of chickens in the past few years and 25 million egg-laying chickens so far into 2025. The worry isn’t humans getting sick from the bird flu; it’s the birds getting the virus. Ultimately, this caused farmers to increase prices due to egg shortages and high demand.
A standard dozen eggs is a typical household food that almost everyone has in their fridge. Before inflation hit the US hard, a dozen eggs were typically less than a dollar from the 70s to the 90s. Averaging every city in the US together. The prices were slowly going up as usual due to inflation, but late 2022 saw a price increase that couldn’t have been due to inflation alone. The Avian Bird Flu hit the US like a truck, soaring prices up to 5$ on average per city. It settled down for a few months, but egg prices are now the highest they have ever been. Local businesses like the Corona Aiport Cafe charge 50 cents extra per egg, and most retail stores in Corona charge 7-8$ for a dozen.
The government, of course, has a plan for everything, including this outbreak. Trump has proposed one billion dollars to help combat the prices. USDA is also trying to re-hire the fired employe
es who helped work to fight the bird flu. They were fired due to federal workforce cuts. USDA plans to improve biosecurity measures and vaccines so the chickens aren’t exposed to the virus. The vaccine has already been invented. It’s called the “H5N1.” This plan also includes extra money for the farmers to help fund this.
Ultimately, the government must still find a long-term, sustainable plan to combat egg prices for the next few years. Eggs can already be too expensive for some people, and this bird flu epidemic isn’t helping, with inflation being the cherry on top. We didn’t learn our lesson from the first wave of the bird flu.
