As expected, the price of a dozen Grade A eggs fell in February 2023, dropping 12.4% to $4.21 on average nationally from $4.81 in January 2023. That's still about $2.21 higher per dozen than they were a year earlier, but a positive development all the same.
The prices of eggs of all types fell 6.7% from January to February 2023 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Meanwhile, the Urner Barry Egg Index has been increasing in recent weeks, with the wholesale price of a dozen eggs rising from a low of $1.95 on 13 February 2023 to $2.80 on 13 March 2023. That suggests egg prices will not be falling back to where they were before the spread of avian flu forced egg producers to cull their flocks for some time to come.
We don't plan to continue following the price of eggs in the U.S. For us, it was a fun exercise to work out when a top in retail prices for a rapidly rising commodity would be likely to take place. Our long, slow transition into a food blog will go in other directions!...
References
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Graphics for Economic News Releases. Average price data (in U.S. dollars), selected items (Eggs, grade A, large, per doz.). [Online Application]. Accessed 14 February 2023.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control. H5N1 Bird Flu Detections across the United States (Backyard and Commercial). Data Table. [CSV Data]. Accessed 14 February 2023.
Urner Barry. Urner Barry Egg Index. [Online Application]. 13 February 2023. Accessed 13 February 2023.
Image credit: Photo by Jasmin Egger on Unsplash, to which we added the dimensional annotations, and originally featured here!
Previously on Political Calculations
Here's where we've previously covered avian flu and its effects on the prices of turkeys and eggs.
- No, the U.S. Has Not Hit "Peak Turkey" (2015)
- Almost the Year Without Enough Turkey for Thanksgiving (2016, discussing 2015)
- Turkey Shrinkflation (2022)
- When Will the Inflating Price of Eggs Break? (2023)