The price of eggs is back on the rise, after significant bird flu outbreaks among egg-laying chickens.
Prices have risen 28.1% in the past year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , and the average price for a dozen large, grade A eggs was $3.20 in August.
More than 100 million “wild aquatic birds, commercial poultry and backyard or hobbyist flocks” have been infected with bird flu since January 2022, according to the CDC .
Prices have spiked in recent weeks due to a large bird flu outbreak at two Color ado chicken farms in July . That, paired with higher consumer demand, is contributing to the sticker shock many Americans may be experiencing in the aisles, experts say.
Widespread bird flu outbreaks in recent years
Some of the most severe outbreaks of bird flu — highly pathogenic avian in fluenza, or (HPAI) — happened in 2014 and 2022.
More than 50 million birds died in the 2014-2015 outbreak, while more than 100 million birds have died since the outbreak that started in 2022. It has become the most deadly HPAI outbreak in history.