Is there good news on the horizon when it comes to egg prices?
The wholesale prices for graded loose eggs dropped to $4.15 as of March 14, a drop of $2.70, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The news comes as “no significant outbreaks” of the avian flu hit flocks of chickens across the U.S. in March.
But consumers aren’t buying, either eggs or the news.
“Demand for shell eggs declined sharply over the past week as resistance to current shell egg prices grows,” the USDA said.
Meanwhile, the United States has reached out to Denmark and other European nations asking if they can export eggs as Americans face surging egg prices,
Egg prices coming down, but don’t get egg-cited yet
“Wholesale prices for national trading of trucklot quantities of graded, loose, white large shell eggs declined $2.70 to $4.15 per dozen,” according to a March 14 report from the USDA.
Prices vary by region, with the USDA noting prices:
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New York: declined $2.40 to $4.78 per dozen
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Midwest: decreased $0.95 to $7.47 per dozen
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California: declined $0.87 to $9.48 per dozen
“It’s going to take a while to recover from avian flu cases,” said David Maloni, president at food service supply chain consultancy Datum FS for the Supermarket News. “The number of egg-laying hens for table eggs is still historically low.”
Why are wholesale egg prices coming down now?
“Negotiated wholesale prices for graded loose eggs continued on a sharp downward trajectory as no significant outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza have been reported in March (as of March 14) and the supply situation is rapidly improving,” the USDA said.
As bird flu outbreaks decrease, the supply of eggs is improving, leading to the drop in wholesale prices.
Why aren’t egg prices dropping much in grocery stores?
Some eggs were available at a Walmart in Vero Beach in February 2025, but the shelves were not as full as they usually were as bird flu continues to affect supplies.
“These declines — in wholesale prices — have yet to be reflected at store shelves and, until they are, demand is expected to remain dampened.
“Grocers have made progress in recent days in maintaining a more consistent stock of shell eggs but some of this is due to many offering little in the way of price incentives which helped to reduce or eliminate altogether much of the panic and opportunity buying seen in some markets in February,” the USDA said.
As the demand for eggs increase for the Easter season, “it remains to be seen if price levels will be able to find a level supportive of holiday demand.”
“We will see how much the retailer sellers decide to pass on to consumers,” said David Anderson, a professor of Business, Economics & Finance at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, for the Supermarket News.
“I think that they will, but it’s a wild card as to how much is passed on, but I think there’s enough consumer fatigue with the high prices and enough consumers who are finding substitutes for eggs … so hopefully the grocers will pass on those savings [to shoppers].”
Consumers buying fewer eggs right now because of price
“Demand for shell eggs declined sharply over the past week as resistance to current shell egg prices grows across all sectors,” the USDA said.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, in February, the Consumer Price Index for eggs increased 10.4%, 159% over February 2024, with an average price of $5.90 per dozen, up $0.94 per dozen from last month.
“Grocery retailers do not want to jeopardize what progress they have made in stocking their dairy cases by incentivizing purchasing at this time — especially at current price levels.”
Egg surcharges continue at some restaurants
While wholesale egg prices have come down, what hasn’t disappeared yet are the egg surcharges introduced by some restaurants.
Waffle House has a temporary 50-cent per egg surcharge at its roughly 2,100 locations across the U.S.
Denny’s also has an egg surcharge in restaurants and markets affected by the egg shortages, although several restaurant chains said they will be keeping prices where they were.
Some retailers such as Trader Joe’s, Costco, Sprouts Farmers Market and some Aldi locations began limiting egg purchases when supplies grew limited.
70 cases of bird flu reported in US
According to the Centers for Disease Control, there have been 70 confirmed cases of bird flu among humans in the U.S. since April 2024. One death, in Louisiana, has been reported.
Of these, 41 cases were associated with exposure to sick dairy cows and 26 were associated with exposure to avian influenza A(H5N1) virus-infected poultry. The source in three cases couldn’t be determined.
There have been no confirmed or probable cases reported in Florida.
The CDC said the immediate risk to the general public from the H5 bird flu remains low.
The USDA saidthat since April 2024, there have been avian influenza found in 336 commercial flocks and 207 backyard flocks, for a total of more than 90.9 million birds affected.
Contributors: C.A. Bridges, Gabe Hauari, USA Today Network
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Wholesale egg prices dropping as bird flu outbreaks decrease
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