Consumers have, for years—and especially in the last few months—been paying record prices for eggs as a result of the H5N1 outbreak in poultry.
Tomorrow, May 13th, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release an update on the Consumer Price Index for April. The data is expected to include an announcement about the retail price of eggs, which has been a focal point of national discussion about inflation, food, and tariffs. Even before the April figures were released, President Trump has claimed victory, saying that the price of eggs is falling and “availability is fantastic.”
But while retail prices are expected to fall in April compared to March, there are many reasons to believe that this trend represents only a seasonal cyclical decline — and that higher egg prices are here to stay unless federal agriculture regulators finally start getting serious about reforming our broken and unhealthy food systems.
This issue brief has two main findings:
1. Despite a recent dip, egg prices will likely remain high as long as federal regulators fail to respond to the ongoing bird flu pandemic; and
2. Evidence from Canada suggests that farm size and intensification contributes to pandemic risk.
Read the issue brief