Egg prices have steadily dropped in price since President Donald Trump took office in January by a whopping 61%.
According to Fox Business, data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows the price of large white eggs are currently around $2.52 per dozen nationally. This is in stark contrast to January, where a dozen eggs would set a shopper back about $6.49 for a dozen. In March, eggs were over $8 per dozen.
“Shell egg demand posted a slight improvement headed into the Memorial Day weekend but remained well below average in the continuation of a trend that began during the sharp price increases in late winter,” the USDA Egg Markets Overview weekly publication said.
Fox Business further reported that Clarify Capital released a study in April that said over 30% of American consumers had simply stopped purchasing eggs because of the price.
Since 2022, the egg industry had been dealing with an outbreak of the bird flu that swept across the U.S. and affected over 166 million birds, of which 127 million were egg layers.
To offset the price increase, the U.S. increased its imports of eggs from Turkey, Brazil and South Korea.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reports that the outbreak’s impact is ongoing.
According to the Egg Markets Overview, USDA APHIS has so far verified 43 outbreaks among layer flocks across 10 states, including Arizona, California, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Washington.
