MADISON, Wis. — If you haven’t noticed already, one of the big items on your grocery list has become more expensive this year.
In the year through November, not adjusted for seasonal swings, egg prices jumped 49%, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Brandon Scholz is the president of the Wisconsin Grocers Association. He highlighted multiple reasons why the price of a carton of eggs has skyrocketed.
“We’ve hit that point where demand was just so high, there just weren’t enough eggs out there,” said Scholz.
This year’s deadly Avian flu has been reducing poultry flocks, on top of inflation that continues to be a problem for many grocery stores, he said. The price of eggs can vary depending on where you go, and which eggs you buy.
“Some stores, depending on who they supply from, at this point in time have a good supply and they can maintain that,” Scholz said. “It’s really a combination of factors as to what drives that price.”
Kevin Bernhardt with the UW-Extension agreed. He added that the Avian flu and inflation aren’t the end of this sort of perfect storm for issues.
“In terms of the food that’s hitting the store shelves now, the fertilizer that went into that food was at some of the record prices we had,” said Bernhardt. “That price gets passed on to consumers.”
Though the price tag may go up, eggs are still an essential item to grab at the store. For some shoppers like Hilary Schwarz, this product is just part of her more expensive grocery list.
“I think everything’s more expensive these days. We’re just getting used to this right now but, we still need them and I still want to shop local, so I’m sticking with it for now,” said Schwarz.
It’s not just a problem in Wisconsin, meaning that wherever you are shopping for this product, you’re going to see these prices around for a while.
“Go anywhere in the country, pick your favorite state, and you’re gonna see the same thing at the counter. You’re going to see eggs that are going to be priced differently depending on the label,” said Scholz. “They’re all challenged the same way.”
As for what consumers can do to try to avoid this issue, it’s hard to find other options right now as these problems don’t look like they’re going away any time soon. Scholz recommends similar strategies to what people did during the pandemic: being creative with resources available during a time when it can be harder to get these items.
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