47 million birds dead in Iowa ...that costs a lot of money
Bird Flu Spikes Egg Prices; Some Hit $3 A Dozen
(USA Today) DES MOINES — Egg prices have tripled at some supermarkets courtesy of the bird flu, but supplies continue to hold steady for the moment, grocers said.
Before bird flu pummeled the Midwest, a carton of 12 extra large eggs had been selling for 99 cents. Now those eggs are selling "in the $3 range," said Aaron Irlbeck, vice president of wholesale purchasing at Fareway Stores. The Boone, Iowa-based grocer has 110 stores in five states: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota.
"We haven't had trouble with supply because the high prices are keeping demand down," Irlbeck said.
That's true in many places around the country. With a carton of jumbo eggs at $3.29 last week, up 80 cents from May at Canino Produce in Houston, some consumers are putting eggs on the luxury list.
"That's one of the reasons why I'm not buying as many as I was," said shopper Kathy Hinkle of Houston.
The H5N2 virus has spread widely through Midwest farms since early spring, particularly in Iowa, resulting in nearly 47 million birds dead. Iowa is the nation's largest egg producer.
About 35 million of those birds were egg-laying hens.
Fareway gets its eggs from two main sources: Rose Acre Farms in Seymour, Ind., and Sparbo Farms in Litchfield, Minn. Both companies get eggs from Iowa farms.
"They have been great about getting us product," Irlbeck said.
Hy-Vee, which has 235 stores in eight states — Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin — said it has seen a few delays on larger-sized eggs, but no significant shortages.
"Looking ahead to the coming weeks, we're hopeful that we'll continue to receive our regular supply of eggs," the company said in a release. Hy-Vee's egg suppliers have asked the grocery chain and other retailers to stop running egg promotions, which Hy-Vee agreed to do.
Hy-Vee won't stockpile eggs to maintain supplies because of the product's shelf life, the company said. Egg prices started to inch up in April and supplies are expected to fluctuate over the next few years as the market recovers.
"I really started noticing the prices going up about two weeks ago," said Susan Walters of Prattville, Ala., who has been making cookies and cakes for graduation presents and parties. "With two teenage boys, and me being a baker, we use a lot of eggs."
Across the USA, regional wholesale prices, the cost to a warehouse, are 3 to 23 cents higher per dozen, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's egg market reportreleased Monday. Supply is moderate and demand is light.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which gathers retail egg prices as part of its market basket in compiling the Consumer Price Index, has released data only up to April when a dozen eggs averaged $2.07 in stores.
Ben Partridge, marketing coordinator for New Pioneer Food Co-op, which has three stores in Iowa, said bird flu has not affected the the cooperative's supply or prices though it's something stores are bracing for.
"We haven't necessarily seen anything change on our shelves for the consumer," Partridge said. However, the price for eggs in the co-op's offsite production kitchen has increased.
That's because the wholesale price of eggs sold in liquid form has more than doubled from 63 cents per dozen equivalent to more than $1.50. That can affect restaurants, bakeries and packaged goods that use eggs for sale in supermarkets.
The co-op stocks cage-free eggs from Cedar Ridge Farm in Elgin, Iowa; Farmer's Henhouse in Kalona, Iowa; and Marvin Hotz, a farmer near Iowa City, Iowa; along with a specialty product from Texas. The eggs sell between $2.99 and $3.99, which has remained unchanged in the wake of the bird flu, Partridge said.
AI
