What’s the Deal with US Egg Prices

What’s the Deal with US Egg Prices?

Egg prices has been rising dramatically in the United States, but not in other countries. The price of a dozen eggs at Walmart in March of 2025 in US dollars was:

Mexico – $1.84
Canada – $2.90
USA – $7.59

So, what’s going on?

Costco Egg Line, February 2025

Egg Price Trends

From November, when Trump was elected, to the end of February, egg prices went up by 60% according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Trump claims he inherited a mess and has brought egg prices down. He also said Americans should “shut up about egg prices”. You don’t need statistics or statements from the government to figure out what’s going on with egg prices though. Just head to your grocery store.

Egg Prices Rising in U.S.

Bird Flu

The biggest factor affecting egg markets is bird flu. When a chicken gets bird flu, all the chickens in that particular farm have to be euthanized. The US is not dealing with bird flu effectively. Since 2022 US egg farms have euthanized more than 150 million chickens due to bird flu.

Let’s look at the differences between US and Canadian operations.

US Egg Production

US egg producers are mainly large corporations producing eggs in facilities with 6 – 8 million chickens. That means bird flu can result in losses of more than 6 million chickens as a result of one case of bird flu.

Since US egg corporations typically own multiple farms, these companies have the flexibility to increase prices on their remaining inventory if they lose 6 million chickens at one specific facility. So, US producers have a reduced incentive to invest in the time and equipment necessary to reduce the spread of bird flu. The more chickens they lose to bird flu, the more they will charge customers for the remaining eggs.

Canadian Egg Production

Canadian egg producers are mainly individual businesses that manage about 25,000 chickens in each facility.

Since Canadian egg producers operate as individual family-run businesses, they don’t have the flexibility to adapt to bird flu losses. They face bankruptcy if one of their chickens gets bird flu. So, Canadian producers dress in full PPE before entering their facilities and they spray down with chemicals to ensure their chickens aren’t exposed to bird flu.

Canada also has more government oversight with respect to safety and pricing. The Egg Farmers of Canada (EFC) acts as the national agency responsible for the orderly production and marketing of eggs. There is no shortage of eggs in Canada and prices are stable.

Egg Prices Stable and Cheaper in Canada

US Starts Looking for Help from Other Countries

Canadian egg production is geared to meet the demands of Canada. Canada intentionally doesn’t have excess capacity to sell to the US. The US government started to look to Europe and specifically Denmark for help. How ironic that the US is threatening to take Greenland from Denmark, but at the same time is begging for Denmark’s eggs.

The US is also actively seeking help from Turkey in supplying eggs. Meanwhile smuggling of eggs across the border from Mexico has become a problem for the US. See USA Today’s article “US asks countries to help lower soaring egg prices”

Turkey is the only country that sends eggs to the US.

Egg Processing in Europe & Mexico

Unfortunately, for the USA, Europe and Mexico don’t wash or refrigerate their eggs. This is a safe way to preserve eggs more easily, but it is currently illegal in the United States. The US will be forced to allow the sale of unwashed, unrefrigerated eggs if they want to import from Europe or Mexico.

Justice Department to Investigate Egg Pricing

In the Long Run

Capitalism in the US ensures that big corporations make big money and that means high egg prices are here to stay in the good old US of A. However the US Department of Justice has suggested it will look into the matter.