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Finding a dozen eggs has become increasingly difficult—and expensive—as an H5N1 avian influenza outbreak disrupts supplies.
The virus struck wild migratory birds in September 2024 before spreading to domestic poultry, forcing producers to destroy entire flocks. Infections recorded in December 2024 and January 2025 were three times higher than a year earlier.
By January, the monthly average price for a dozen large Grade A eggs had reached a 45-year high. The national average now stands at $4.95 per dozen, while local prices have reportedly climbed to $10 or more.
Some grocery stores are limiting how many cartons each customer can buy, and others are struggling to keep eggs on their shelves at all.
Restaurants are also adapting by adding surcharges to egg dishes or replacing eggs with plant-based alternatives. The Department of Agriculture predicts prices could rise another 20 percent over the coming year and warns that the highly infectious virus may affect the egg market for months.