The latest monthly consumer price index confirmed what consumers, bakers and food companies already knew: an ongoing bird flu outbreak that began in 2022 are making eggs terribly expensive right now.
The supply of those eggs is tighter and focused in certain regions, so the effect on prices can be magnified when outbreaks hit cage-free egg farms.
Because massive egg farms may have millions of birds, just one outbreak may put a dent in the egg supply.
The Agriculture Department says more than 23 million birds were slaughtered last month and more than 18 million were killed in December to limit the spread of the bird flu virus.
The average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 in January, eclipsing the previous record of $4.82 set two years earlier and more than double the recent low of $2.04 that was recorded in August 2023.
