TYLER, Texas (KETK) – Expect to pay even more at the grocery store for your eggs this year because the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts prices will go up another 20% in 2025.
Currently egg prices at grocery stores are around $4.17 for a dozen. Experts say that price will continue to go up and these price increases are adding up for local shop and bakery owners.
“Almost everything we bake has eggs in it,” owner of Honeycomb Bakery and Coffee, Tonya Kauffman said. “So, it’s a vital part of our business.”
She said when she first started, she could buy 15 dozen eggs for $32 dollars and sometimes even as low as $20.
“Fast forward to currently now a case of eggs for wholesale now is over $100 a case which is $7 a dozen,” Kauffman said.
Texas A&M Agri-Life Extension economist and professor David Anderson said the bird flu is partially to blame for these higher prices.
“HPAI is a disease, it’s an influenza that’s particularly deadly on birds, and so what has happened is really since this outbreak really began in 2022,” Anderson said. “Since that time, we continue to have incidences of the disease on egg producing farms. The disease wipes out the chickens and so it wipes out their egg production.”
He said farmers have been dealing with these bird flu outbreaks since 2022 and the effect is reflected in the prices you see on store shelves.
“We’ve had this growing demand for eggs over time and now we’re hit with these unexpected supply cuts, and that drives our prices higher,” Anderson said.
For now, shop owners like Kauffman are doing their best. Adding a 20-cent increase to items that use eggs and chocolate.
“I did talk to my wholesaler last week and he said that the egg shortage is looking like it will extend to summer,” Kauffman said. “So we will kind of have to evaluate numbers if it’s just for a couple of months we can absorb some loss.”
Costs could eventually come down, but it will take time till that price is reflected on your receipt
“It’s really sort of just in the hands of sort of biology at this point is how long it takes us to rebuild flocks,” Kauffman said.
Kauffman also said one way people can help local business is to call bigger tickets in early so they can make sure they have enough product available.
