Bloomberg reports this morning that “egg prices are likely to start rising again after the top US producer had its first-ever outbreak of deadly avian influenza. Cal-Maine Foods Inc. in a statement Tuesday said one of its facilities in Kansas tested positive for highly pathogenic bird flu, affecting 684,000 egg-laying hens, or about 1.6 percent of its flock.”
According to the story, Cal-Maine Foods “had previously avoided infections in the worst-ever global outbreak that prompted more than 72 million birds to be killed in the United States to slow the spread of the virus. The latest outbreak adds to worries that a resurgence could start boosting prices for eggs, which have fallen 69 percent since hitting a record of $5.35 a dozen in the Midwest about a year ago.”
KC’s View:
The price of eggs appears to be top of mind for shoppers virtually everywhere.
Axios has a story this morning about how in Google Search, the item most searched by Americans asking: “Why is ___ so expensive?” is eggs – in all 50 states, as well as in Canada, Mexico and a dozen other countries.
The price of a dozen eggs isn’t bad at the moment – the Consumer Price Index has it at an average of $2.14, compared to a high of $4.82 back in January.
This tells me that whatever retailers can do to keep the price of eggs down – selling them at cost, maybe even taking a bit of a loss on them – could be a tangible differentiator.
The post Egg Prices May Again Go Up. No Yolk. appeared first on MNB.
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