Egg prices in the US hit a record high
NEW YORK – The price of white eggs in the United States has surged sharply, even reaching a new record high despite wholesale prices showing a downward trend and no new reports of bird flu outbreaks at farms.
According to Sky News on Friday (April 11), the average price of a dozen eggs in the US in March 2025 was $6.23 or approximately Rp104,664 (exchange rate Rp16,800 per US dollar). This price spike reflects an upward trend that has been occurring since the beginning of the year.
Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded that in February 2025, egg prices had already reached $5.90 (approximately Rp99,120), more than twice the long-term average price, which was around $2 (Rp33,600).
Although wholesale egg prices began to decline at the end of March, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on April 10, 2025, indicated that retail egg prices continued to rise.
Jada Thompson, an agricultural economist from the University of Arkansas, explained that the drop in wholesale prices has not immediately impacted retail prices. “Wholesale prices only started declining in mid-March, so there hasn’t been enough time for it to affect the monthly average price in retail markets,” she said.
She also added that many stores likely have not adjusted retail prices as quickly as wholesale price movements.
Previously, President Donald Trump claimed that egg prices had decreased by 35%, praising Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for doing a good job in lowering prices.
Since 2022, the US poultry industry has been hit by a highly contagious avian flu (H5N1 strain). This year alone, over 30 million laying hens have been culled due to infections.
Even one human fatality caused by bird flu has been reported. Federal policies requiring full flock culling upon the discovery of a single infection have further worsened the national egg supply situation.
This price surge highlights the complexity of food supply chains and how external factors such as disease outbreaks and quarantine policies can significantly impact the prices of essential goods in the market. (DK/LM)