Have you been one of the millions of people across the United States noticing egg prices creeping higher? Since the beginning of 2024, egg prices have almost doubled, causing a shock to many shoppers. The rocketing of egg prices have shone a light on the growing outbreak of H5N1, more commonly known as avian influenza or bird flu.
Bird flu has caused panic among farmers as the source for America’s eggs—chickens—have begun to catch the deadly disease. Estimates say that over 166 million domestic and wild birds have died due to bird flu. Whole flocks of chickens have been wiped out on farms across the United States. Bird flu itself is usually transmitted through wild birds, like ducks, who carry a less dangerous version of the virus. This virus can be transmitted to chickens on a farm through contact, and can mutate into a more transmittable and deadly disease that can infect poultry.
The decrease in chickens has shot egg prices through the roof, but that is not the only concern. There have been 66 confirmed human deaths due to bird flu as of January 6, 2025 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If a person were to eat the cooked meat of a chicken who had bird flu, they would most likely not contract it themselves. The virus, like most others, does not do well under high temperatures. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) strongly encourages cooking egg whites and yolks until they harden to limit the chances of contamination.
Another factor that shoppers are worried about are the tariffs that have been announced and what that could do to the already astronomical egg prices. With a possible trade war between the US and most of Europe, consumers are fearing even higher prices.
News recently broke that the US Department of Agriculture sent letters to European nations asking how many eggs they could possibly send to the US. This is a complete turnaround after President Trump threatened many European countries with harsh tariffs if they do not comply with his demands. Most notably, Trump threatened Denmark with heavy tariffs if they did not give control of Greenland over to the US. Denmark was one of the countries that received a letter asking about eggs.
It does not seem like egg prices will be going back down until bird flu can be contained. A vaccine was approved by the FDA in February, but it will take time for people to start vaccinating their flocks.
