PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
HOWARD, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — If you’ve visited the grocery store recently, you’ve likely noticed you’re shelling out more money for eggs, and you may be limited on how many you can buy.
The Wisconsin Grocers Association said much of the rise in cost for eggs is due to the ongoing spread of bird flu. It’s leaving consumers frustrated and concerned at the grocery store.
At Woodman’s Food Market in Howard, shoppers were on the prowl to try and sniff out the best price on eggs.
“There was a little sticker shock when I saw it was $8 for an 18 count pack of eggs. A little bit of sticker shock,” shopper Amanda Hatch said.
Hatch lives in Langlade County and was in town for work. She said she always swings by Woodman’s because of their lower prices, but that wasn’t the case during her egg hunt.
“There’s a lot of things in life I can live without, and I can probably live without eggs if I have to because that $8 is a little much to pay for 18 eggs,” Hatch said.
She isn’t the only one noticing a price hike. A lot of consumers are eggs-hausted.
“Actually, they’re kind of outrageous right now, but last week they were a little bit less and now this week they’re a little bit more again, so they’re too high,” shopper Rick Streckenbach said.
According to the USDA in 2024, there was a 7.7% price increase in eggs on average compared to 2023, and it’s predicted to go up to much as 11% in 2025. High prices could be caused by a number of factors.
“You’ve got the avian flu combined with spike in demand combined with those embedded costs,” Wisconsin Grocers Association President & CEO Mike Semmann said.
The Wisconsin Grocers Association said we’re approaching a 50-year high for egg consumption. The current avian flu outbreak is the largest on record, and now the industry is doing what it can to protect flocks.
“We’re hopeful that the farmers, the producers and the distributors are going to be able to keep working hard and diligent to make sure that we have the supply… at a competitive price that the consumers would like to see,” Semmann said.
He said egg production should pick up by the second half of 2025 by about 3%. While there’s no telling when egg prices will come back down, for now, some folks are left with no choice but to hatch a new plan.
“I kind of cut back. Usually, I’ll have three eggs in the morning for breakfast. Now, I eat two,” Streckenbach said.
Right now, cage-free eggs are the most impacted by bird flu.
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