The price of eggs

[rotuts]

prices are on the way up. for sure

 

in my area, MA,  the law changed a year ago , and MA only sells cage-free now

 

MarketBasket is a quality family chain that had lower prices

 

its stores are based in towns w cheaper realestate , that's part of it

 

in the distant past , pre cage-free , white eggs were $ 1.49 or so , frequently 

 

$ 0.99 , if not lower 

 

there was a price bump w the cage-free law , but I can't remember how much 

 

$ 1.99 ?

 

now they are $ 3.99

 

interesting analysis on the price of eggs :

 

https://www.salon.com/2023/01/08/grocery-supply-chains-understanding-why-eggs-cost-what-they-cost_partner/

[cdh]

Bird flu means dead chickens which means fewer eggs... supply and demand does the price lifting... 

[blue_dolphin]

4 minutes ago, cdh said:

Bird flu means dead chickens which means fewer eggs... supply and demand does the price lifting... 

 

Yep.  Per this LATimes article: $7 a dozen? Why California eggs are so expensive — and increasingly hard to find

 

Quote

More than 57 million chickens and turkeys have died or been culled since the outbreak began last February, including close to 4 million egg-laying hens in December alone. Among the roughly 40 million hens lost nationwide since the outbreak began, more than 5 million were cage-free egg layers, USDA data show.

 

And from a wholesaler:

Quote

“They have to replace the chickens, and they don’t start laying overnight,” he said. “There’s not going to be an end to this for another seven or eight months.”

 

 

[Katie Meadow]

We buy organic free range eggs. These days we are paying upwards of $8 for a dozen. And we are eating and using more eggs than we used to. That's due to changes in diet and increased interest in "snacking cakes."

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, cdh said:

Bird flu means dead chickens which means fewer eggs... supply and demand does the price lifting... 

 

Yup.

We'll see if they ever return to the old baseline (they won't)

[ElsieD]

30 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

increased interest in "snacking cakes."

Yup, same here.  2 eggs per cake, unless there are only 2 of you then you only need 1 egg per half batch.

[blue_dolphin]

32 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

We buy organic free range eggs. These days we are paying upwards of $8 for a dozen. And we are eating and using more eggs than we used to. That's due to changes in diet and increased interest in "snacking cakes."

 

Same here.  I buy eggs at the local farmers market.  Their hens are pastured in an organic citrus orchard and have nice orange yolks. They have been $7/doz for years and years but just last month, they raised the price to $8/doz due to increases in feed prices.  So they used to be more than double grocery eggs but are now pretty much on par.

Another vendor at the same market, Apricot Lane Farms (of The Biggest Little Farm documentary) had been selling their eggs for $14/doz.  Haven't checked lately to see if they've raised their prices. 

[JeanneCake]

Last week, one of my distributors told me their price on 30 dz extra large eggs is $181.00  So it's $6/dz at the wholesale level.  I am sure the buying power of grocery chains makes it possible for them to get better pricing so they are selling eggs at $6/dz retail.  Even my staff is buying eggs from me now LOL.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Before the holidays, I was buying organic pastured medium size eggs at Grocery Outlet for $3.99/dozen.    Excellent flavor, orange yolks.  Mid-December they went up to $4.99, then $5.99, still a value.    Haven't seen them in several weeks.   Have been buying extra large organics for $5.99/dozen, cheaper than the same quality large size, i.e, supply and demand when most people reach for large eggs.

[MaryIsobel]

We are fortunate that our neighbour keeps us supplied with eggs for the most part. Occaisionally, the hens go through the "not laying" stage, but selling eggs from the end of your driveway is big business in these parts. We did have one neighbourhood supplier who lost her whole flock to Avian flu and that same flu is the reason I had to buy two 12 pound turkeys instead of one 20+ pounder as I usually do. A good reminder that our food chain is really quite fragile.

[ElsieD]

I was paying $6 a dozen for organic pasteurized eggs.  These are delivered to me.  They come in all sizes and colors and are delicious.  I am on a temporary break from them as the chickens aren't laying much.  It will be interesting to see what the price is when delivery resumes.

[Dave the Cook]

I just returned from the grocery store, where the asking price for a dozen store-brand large chicken eggs was $5.39 (45 cents/egg). Some observations:

• This was at Publix, which has a big presence in Atlanta. Still this price is anomalous. A dozen eggs at Kroger is $4.29 (36 cents) ; Walmart wants $5.17 (43 cents). These three chains comprise 75% of the Atlanta market.
• There weren't many eggs to be had at all. At Publix, the cooler was about 40% full. A year ago, it would have been 100% occupied.
• The store brand was available in a 1-1/2 dozen carton. They were $7.82, or 43 cents/egg, actually slightly more expensive than by the dozen.
• A 2-1/2 dozen carton was available for $12.13, which is 40 cents per egg -- not what I would call a great quantity discount.
• Eggland's Best, a premium brand (though it's hard to figure out why from what's printed on their package), was a bit less than the store-brand: $5.26. They had also been packed only two days earlier than the store-brand. Usually, this brand is about 20% more expensive than the store brand, and as much as ten days older. (I note this because I am from the church that preaches that when it comes to eggs, age is almost everything.)
• Just because Kroger is advertising (relatively) cheap eggs, it doesn't mean they actually have Grade A USDA large eggs. They've been known to "suddenly" run out of advertised items.
• Even at five bucks a dozen, large eggs (as defined by the USDA) are still an inexpensive food source ($3.33/lb).

[Bernie]

There are several good reasons to not produce eggs from caged birds (cage eggs).

BUT there are also some good reasons for egg production in cages.

Psittacosis & "Bird Flu" (both can be spread by wild birds)

In cage situations, provided good sanitation and isolation practices (quarantine of new stock) are employed it is very uncommon for either of these diseases to have any impact.

"Barn reared" or "barn fed" where there is no outside contact also mitigates against both diseases provided good sanitation practices are adhered to.

In both cases, however, should either disease be detected, it will usually quickly infect the whole flock, usually resulting in complete culling.

 

In fully free range or barn reared with some free range feeding, there is increased risk of infections, particularly if there are wild birds of any other species present. Depending on the housing method, infections may result in isolation and some or complete culling of the flock to prevent spread.

 

I personally believe caged egg production should be phased out.

 

What this will do though is increase the price of eggs (and poultry products) as caged egg production is generally the most cost effective way to produce volumes of eggs.

 

So what I think is happening is that as consumers start to prefer "free range" eggs the volumes of cage eggs required falls so the cost of cage eggs increases.

My guess that the base price of eggs is set by cage egg prices, so as that price rises so does every other category.

Add to that the price and scarcity of oil (fertilizers for feed production) and the increase in transport costs all add up to increased production & distribution costs.

[heidih]

I also read the LA Times article @blue_dolphin inked  - It was on the front page. I've also read about the vast numbers of chickens that had to be desroyed in many places.. Another landslide of migration, disease, climate issues that change established patterns. As @Dave the Cook noted eggs are still a good and relatively inexpensive protein source (and I like them).  I experienced pretty much the same pattern of pricing and availabiity at Kroger on Friday as he posted on the other side of the US. As @rotutsnoted we had a price hike after a cage free law went into effect. That huge blip leveled out. All  California eggs have to be cage free which meanss n battery cages, they have to move around, barns ok. The farmers markets often are selling pastured eggs with posted pictures of their happy hens foraging outdooirs which is nice but we've always paid more for them. (pigs are the next dilemma). 

[RWood]

I was really surprised when I saw the weekly ad for Ingles (all over the South). They have cage free eggs for $2.58/dz. I think I need to head to one. Kroger near me is always low on eggs, and minimum $4.99.  We don't shop at Wally World anymore, their prices are more than Kroger and Food City, which are overpriced to begin with. 

[FeChef]

eggs in my area are over $5 a dozen, and thats just your standard run of the mill large eggs. I imagine cage free is a few dollars more. There so pricey the stores are cutting the cartons in 1/2 and selling 6 eggs for like $2.75

 

One grocery store literally has a ad in there weekly flyer for 12 large eggs for $1.99 with 100 points. ( it takes $100usd to equal 100 points.

Edited January 10, 2023 by FeChef (log)

[lindag]

Here I'm buying Jumbo eggs for $2.68 a dozen.

[Anna N]

New Zealand battles with the consequences of banning battery cages. 
 

“Animal welfare advocates are urging New Zealanders not to respond to a nationwide egg shortage by racing to buy chickens, as many supermarket shelves lay bare for the second week following a ban on battery cages.

The cages – considered detrimental to the birds’ health and wellbeing – were outlawed from 1 January 2023. The government’s commitment to ban them was made in 2012, when 86% of layer hens were battery-farmed. By December 2022, that number had fallen to 10%.

But egg producers say they are still hundreds of thousands of birds short of meeting market demand, and the chicken-egg dilemma could take months to resolve.”

Here

[rustwood]

For months now at my local grocery store, Eggland's best have been the same or cheaper than the store brand.  Currently they are $3.49 vs $4.99, but the difference has been >$2.  A family member told me they are also cheaper in their store, but the Eggland's are usually sold out.  People in my store must not care about the price because the small shelves of Eggland's never seem to sell out there.

 

The high price of commodity eggs has definitely made me more inclined to spend what is now not all that much more for the organic/cage-free/local/etc eggs.  I don't mind paying an extra dollar or so for 'premium' eggs now, but I had a harder time paying several dollars more when the commodity eggs were cheap.  I don't notice any difference in the eggs, buying them just makes me feel better.  I'll be interested to see how much the fresh eggs are when my local farm stand re-opens this spring though.  They are usually much more expensive and not as uniformly sized (mostly smaller).  They don't taste any better to me either though so perhaps I have an unrefined palette.

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by rustwood (log)

[Dr. Teeth]

I bought an 18 pack large last weekend for 7.50 at Wegmans.   I was really stunned, particularly as they were advertising it as a sale.

 

I guess it was a bargain and I should have bought 2.

[Shelby]

We went to two different stores yesterday.  A dozen eggs was $4 at one and $5 at the other.  No eggs went into our cart--I would've had to wheel Ronnie out in another cart if I had.

 

Most of the time we can buy eggs from our friend down the road--$3 a dozen for fresh eggs.  But like others have said above, they go through times of not laying.

[weinoo]

$3.49 - Large Brown via Fresh Direct.

[JohnT]

Free-range eggs at my local supermarket on the west coast of South Africa is equivalent to US$ 3.82 for a box of 18 XL. Eggs here are packed in boxes of 6, 12, 18, 30 or 36.

[lemniscate]

Costco sells out all the time.  You can no longer get the 5 doz pack, just the 18 ct.  And there is sometimes a purchase limit of 2.   Costco was out of eggs today.   I went to TJ's and got standard large doz eggs  $2.99.   I bought 2.

 

I love eggs.   

 

It seems the backyard chicken fad has faded out around here, hard to find those type of egg sources anymore.

[Anna N]

If there is any bright side to this, at least for North America, then it is that the eggs we are getting ought to be very fresh. 

I still think that most eggs are a bargain but price comparisons mean nothing if you don’t know how the chickens are housed/raised.