Trump is claiming credit for plummeting egg costs. So why haven't you noticed lower prices?

CNN

18-03-2025

The Trump administration is declaring victory for defeating a massive pain point for inflation-weary Americans: Egg prices are plunging.
'When I took it over, eggs were through the roof, and now eggs are down,' President Donald Trump said Sunday aboard Air Force One.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing Monday that falling egg prices show the administration is working quickly and diligently to solve America's affordability crisis.
'Wholesale egg prices, they continue to fall. A dozen eggs are now $3.10 cheaper since January 24. That's a 47% decrease overall,' Leavitt said. 'So I think the American people do have great reason to be optimistic about this economy.'
But if you haven't noticed lower egg prices at the grocery store, you're not alone.
The reason is a key word Leavitt included: 'wholesale.' Those are the prices distributors buy from farmers or middlemen. Consumer prices, which is what you're charged at the grocery store, aren't falling – they're rising.
For the third straight week, wholesale egg prices fell to $4.15 per dozen, according to the US Department of Agriculture, a 30% decrease from the week before when prices were $6.85 a dozen.
But the average price for consumers is $5.90 per dozen eggs, up $0.94 from last month, the USDA notes. That's because grocery stores may decide to keep prices at a higher price, even when wholesale prices drop, to try to recoup lost profits from prior weeks, noted Kevin Bergquist, sector manager at Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute, in an email to CNN.
'These declines (in prices) have yet to be reflected at store shelves and, until they are, demand is expected to remain dampened,' the USDA said in its weekly egg markets report.
Consumer and producer prices for eggs have softened a little - but they are still extremely high. In grocery stores, egg prices rose 10.4% in February, according to the Consumer Price Index. Egg prices for businesses rose 28.1% last month, according to the producer price index.
'When or if consumers may benefit from lower wholesale prices is unpredictable,' said Bergquist. 'There exists a disconnect between wholesale egg prices and retail egg prices for consumers. Each grocer makes independent egg pricing decisions based upon its own business goals.'
Although Trump is cheering falling wholesale prices, he and his $1 billion avian flu response plan are not to thank just yet. The plan, aimed at combating the spread of the deadly avian flu which has killed 127 million egg laying birds since 2022, was announced by the Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on February 28, just as prices for wholesale eggs started falling.
The USDA report cites two reasons for the decline in prices: decreased demand and fewer cases of avian flu. Consumers got tired of paying higher prices, so demand fell, which means egg prices should decline.
Mexico and Turkey are also sending a combined 10 millions eggs, or 827,000 dozen eggs to offset short supply in the US, according to the USDA. So far, they are tariff free.
The US produces an average of 90 billion eggs annually, according to the American Egg Board.
This year the Easter and Passover holidays fall later, in mid-April, which means more time for egg supply to catch up to holiday demand.
'People are likely to buy eggs no matter the cost because it's an Easter tradition. So right now consumers may be saving their egg money for another week or two,' said Bergquist.
But that doesn't mean consumers will find a deal then. The holidays also fall during the spring migration, and wild birds are the biggest spreaders of the virus to egg laying flocks.