this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2025

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385

$5 a dozen: major egg companies may be using avian flu to hike US prices, new report finds (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 10 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

52 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Summary

Major egg corporations may be using avian flu as a ruse to hike up prices, generating record profits while hurting American consumers, new research suggests.

Egg prices soared to nearly $5 a dozen, rising 157% since before the avian flu outbreak, despite only a 9% drop in laying hens.
Cal-Maine, controlling 20% of the US market, saw a sevenfold profit increase in 2023 compared to 2021.
Over 166 million poultry have been culled, but critics say consolidation and slow flock replacement may inflate prices beyond the virus’s 12-24% direct cost.

Lawmakers urge investigations, while the Trump administration plans vaccines, reduced culling, and a $1bn avian flu fund to help stabilize costs.

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[–] vk6flab@lemmy.radio 100 points 10 months ago (1 children)

What, price gouging, on eggs? What will they think of next, toilet paper? No wait, I bet they haven't thought of making the package look the same, but put less product in it and charging the same? No wait, what if they changed the package and put less in it and charged more?

Nah .. that will never work.

[–] Stern@lemmy.world 49 points 10 months ago

Capitalism functioning as expected. Shocking.

[–] Monstrosity@lemm.ee 28 points 10 months ago

Don't worry everyone, the Consumer Protection Agency will take care of...

Oh, nvmd.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 28 points 10 months ago

They were caught doing it the last time bird flu was a thing. Trump then fired the people who caught them, so, good luck

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 23 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (4 children)

They can hike prices as much as they want, there is nothing illegal or even wrong (arguably) about that. As long as people buy enough for it to increase profits, it's obvious they will do that. That's the reason free competition is important. Free as in preventing monopolies and cartels.
But Americans have lost interest in free competition, and prefer models that maximize profits now.

[–] BlueLineBae@midwest.social 15 points 10 months ago (2 children)

They may actually be hurting themselves in the long run. The amount of people I know that have decided to get chickens since the pandemic has increased far more than I ever expected it would. And if you've ever had your own chickens before, you know that there's plenty to go around and you share with friends and neighbors. So not only are they permanently losing more customers to people getting chickens, they're also losing customers to friends of people that have chickens. Plus all these people are getting much higher quality eggs from happy chickens, so why would they ever go back? I know not everyone can, but, the more people that start raising chickens the better!

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Hopefully some of those that get chickens, figure they might as well have more chickens now they are at it anyway, and begin to supply to local supermarkets too.

[–] IamSparticles@lemmy.zip 4 points 10 months ago

If they want to sell commercially they have to meet a bunch of regulations at the state and federal level that will likely make their eggs prohibitively expensive at that scale. Most people I know that have enough chickens to consider selling the eggs just put up a roadside stand or use word-of-mouth advertising to get customers. Anything more and they run the risk of getting smacked down by USDA or FDA or even state regulators.

[–] BlueLineBae@midwest.social 3 points 10 months ago

I hadn't thought about it, but that would truly be the ideal situation. Imagine going to the store and all the eggs are from local's extra stock. I know it couldn't currently happen that way based on what regulations allow, but I can certainly imagine.

[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I've looked into raising chickens. There is so much that goes into it. Between their coop and bedding, cleaning and feed, the upfront cost alone is cost prohibitive. On top of that, everything wants to eat chickens. So if you have any predators (foxes, wolves, even dogs), they'll go after your chickens.

The egg prices have me seriously reconsidering it though

[–] BlueLineBae@midwest.social 3 points 10 months ago

The fact that the upfront cost can be prohibitive and actual effort is involved but people are still doing it should tell you just how bad things have gotten. Plus, the more people that do it, the more they can teach others and help them out. I know people who got chickens after a neighbor got chickens and they saw how beneficial it was and if their neighbors can do it they certainly could as well.

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 11 points 10 months ago

It's amazing in hindsight just how much of our capitalist free market was just a show to compete with the Soviet Union. Now our biggest rivals are both just corrupt oligarchies too.

Something big is due for a change.

[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They can hike prices as much as they want, there is nothing illegal or even wrong (arguably) about that.

In the US there are exceptions to the charge anything standard, such as limitations on gouging on gas pricing during emergencies and laws against companies colliding on price hikes. The protections kick in when customers don't have a choice, and it is possible that all egg companies raising prices to seek profits while blaming something that has far less of an effect than the prices indicate could potentially fall into one of those two categories.

Not that it matters as the penalties are always far less than the abuse, but pricing in the US isn't a complete wild west.

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Chicken egg shortage is not an emergency. gas is irreplaceable for transport, eggs are not irreplaceable for food.

[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

gas is irreplaceable for transport

Bicycles, walking.

People who hoarded toilet paper and hand sanitizer were punished despite soap and water existing.

https://www.today.com/news/brothers-who-hoarded-17-700-bottles-hand-sanitizer-forced-donate-t176028

[–] eatCasserole@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

What do you think these companies were freely competing for? It's profits. It has always been profits.

Cartels and monopolies are what happens when you have "free competition" for a bit, and then someone "wins" the competition.

[–] CosmicGoat@lemmy.ca 20 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The industry has already been found liable for such behavior: https://apnews.com/article/egg-producers-price-gouging-lawsuit-conspiracy-be6919b3fb42bf2d9d3884d5e133e91d

People cannot keep up with the costs. The government isn't doing anything. They let corporations get away with everything

sighs This is so very frustrating. 😖

[–] Bamboodpanda@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

What a hurtful thing to say about a "person".

[–] cybersin@lemm.ee 18 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Wow, this is truly unprecedented. We haven't ever seen anything like this before!

[–] andrewta@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

Shocking I tell you. Shocking. 😮

[–] SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 18 points 10 months ago

Too bad price gouging isn't prosecuted anymore.

[–] davad@lemmy.world 15 points 10 months ago

Shocked Pikachu face.

[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 12 points 10 months ago

$5/dozen is pretty good compared to most prices I've seen.

[–] Thteven@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They're $11 in southern California.

[–] doingthestuff@lemy.lol 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I saw $10 at my regular store in Ohio last week. The same was $2 three years ago. That wasn't even good "free range" eggs although I don't believe that marketing. Backyard chickens are where it is at.

[–] NOPper@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 10 months ago

$11 in Western WA state too.

[–] return2ozma@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago (4 children)

$5?! Where?! They're $9.99 here in Los Angeles. :(

[–] KaRunChiy@fedia.io 3 points 10 months ago

6.79 out here in rural nebraska, they were 3.50 a month ago

[–] mysteriouswineglass@lemm.ee 3 points 10 months ago

$16.49 in Brooklyn yesterday

[–] ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.zip 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

For real, Seattle is like this too. We're going to be paying $1/egg soon!

[–] BlackAura@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

Kirkland Costco, admittedly 2-3 weeks ago. Something like $9.59 for two dozen.

Something between $9 and $10 on the price tag is what I remember.

No idea what it is now.

[–] Maeve@midwest.social 2 points 10 months ago

Same in solidly red Bible belt area I live in. $21 for 30.

[–] hark@lemmy.world 9 points 10 months ago

This is why I refuse to buy eggs until prices go down to normal. I'm not going to reward them for taking advantage.

[–] Baguette@lemm.ee 8 points 10 months ago

Lol I just don't buy eggs now. I could buy any other protein for the price of eggs now

[–] nick@midwest.social 7 points 10 months ago

“No shit.”

[–] cabron_offsets@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

Torches & pitchforks.

[–] x00z@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

It's a free market!!!!

[–] davad@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

Shocked Pikachu face.

[–] Gladaed@feddit.org 5 points 10 months ago

Claiming that a 157% price hike cannot be explained by a 9% drop in supply is just bad economics. If everybody just buys the eggs anyway the price can rise arbitrarily high.

Profits increasing on the short term is very plausible as costs don't rise from having some hens die, but supply drops. This is over compensated with price increases.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Somewhere out there must still be super cheap to be pushing the average down to five

[–] IamSparticles@lemmy.zip 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

You can probably get the cheapest, 5 birds per cage, hormone fed eggs somewhere for around that price. A lot of states have standards that don't allow those eggs to be sold, though. Here in WA, for example, there are regulations around the treatment of chickens that raise the average price. I can't find eggs for less than about $7 per dozen right now.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

No I can't. That's why I said it. Cheapest eggs in my area are $6 now.

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