The eggs are on sale at a Manhattan grocery store on February 25th, 2025 in New York.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Wholesale egg prices have fallen sharply in recent weeks, which could quickly offer relief to consumers who have been shell-shocked at record prices at grocery stores this year.
But it’s unclear how fast retail prices will go up and down, experts said.
Wholesale prices fell to $4.83 per dozen on Friday, down 44% from the peak of $8.58 per dozen on February 28, according to Expana, which tracks agricultural commodity prices.
According to a USDA market analysis on Friday, there was a reprieve from the previous March outbreak of major avian flu and lower consumer demand, which came amid a decline in consumer demand.
Prices “slumped” according to egg market analyst Karyn Rispoli, editor-in-chief of Expana.
Market dynamics are also falling further with “extreme pressure” on wholesale prices, Rispoli wrote in an email.
Retail prices hit record highs
On average, consumers paid $5.90 for record high eggs in February on average, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retail prices were blown beyond previous records at $4.82 per dozen in January 2023, nearly doubled from a year ago.
Prices have skyrocketed amid the fatal outbreak of US avian flu, overwhelming millions of egg sales chickens and egg supply, according to agricultural economists and market experts. The U.S. Department of Justice has also launched an anti-trust investigation into key producer pricing and supply practices.
However, for now, at least, it appears that the bird flu outbreak fell in March.
“Slow-down” [bird flu] The outbreak has led to increased availability of supply, and market prices have responded with a sharp decline in the past week,” USDA wrote.
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In honor of the high prices and purchase restrictions imposed by many grocery stores, consumers also bought less eggs, which helped ease the supply shortage, Rispoli said.
The household also refilled eggs because they feared that prices would continue to rise. This is a kind of flashback to consumer behavior witnessed early in the Covid-19 pandemic.
Consumers are still “feeling a peak market”
There have been some early signs of easing prices, but it is unclear how quickly and how much more bailouts will be available for consumers, experts said.
One is generally at least 2-3 weeks delay between changes in wholesale costs and subsequent changes in retail prices. That means consumers “feeling a peak market when they buy eggs,” Rispoli said.
Additionally, retailers ultimately choose “how closely they want to track wholesale prices,” she said.
Additionally, demand for eggs is likely to increase as Easter Holiday approaches, Kevin Bergquist, an egg analyst at Wells Fargo Agrifood Institute, wrote in a March market update. (Easter is on April 20th this year.)
“Egg prices are likely to change very much in the near future, but at a higher level than usual,” Bergquist wrote. “In the short term, egg prices are likely to be high.”
