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Ready to pay $9 for eggs? Why prices are so high right now
Eggs Offer Grinwald collects from his chicken coup.
(
Ashley Balderrama
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LAist
)
Topline:
It’s not just your local supermarket, egg prices in California have skyrocketed due to low supply during the bird flu outbreak. The benchmark price for a dozen eggs in California is up about 70% over November, according to the USDA. That means some shoppers are paying nearly $9 for a dozen large eggs.
What’s going on? Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, said California lost somewhere between 17 million and 20 million birds — including chickens, ducks, and turkeys — in the last few months due to the bird flu outbreak. That includes millions of egg-laying hens.
The holiday effect: People use a lot of eggs over the holidays, too, which has driven up demand in recent weeks. “The holidays are over — lots of eggs are used in the holidays — so we’re hopeful that the shelves start to fill up,” Mattos said.
What’s next: Mattos said egg prices should level out by mid-April.
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