Egg prices fall, Trump administration says, but perhaps only for a little while

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Tuesday told reporters that egg prices have dropped by nearly $2 per dozen, in part because of efforts to combat the bird flu epidemic that the poultry industry has faced for the past several months.

But new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows egg prices shot up 12.5% from January to February—and were up 58.8% in the past year. (The consumer price index is backward-looking, however. It’s unclear if Rollins was disclosing more recent data that was not a part of the BLS report.)

The average price of a dozen eggs in February hit $5.90, compared to just over $2 in August 2023.

If egg prices are finally starting to decline, regardless of whether they’ve fallen as much as Rollins claims, don’t expect them to stay low for long. Easter is just over a month away and demand for eggs will surge once again, resulting in another price spike.

(Any price decline that might be occurring now is due, in part, to people buying fewer eggs at high prices, which could push stores to offer them for a bit less.)

The Trump administration has been implementing a multiprong plan to address egg prices, including importing eggs from other countries and repopulating the chickens that had to be euthanized due to their exposure to bird flu. Sterilizing facilities and waiting for those hens to become old enough to lay eggs will take time.

The rise in egg prices has affected more than people’s breakfast habits. Bakeries and fresh goods that use them as an ingredient have also been forced to raise prices. Some New York stores are selling eggs individually. And some restaurants, including Waffle House and Denny’s, have added a surcharge to any meal that includes eggs.