Egg prices could rise by 41.1% this year, USDA estimates
The price of eggs is expected to rise by 41.1% this year as the bird flu continues to rip through the nation's agricultural economy, the federal government projected in a new report.
Why it matters: That's more than double the 20% increase predicted in January.
Egg prices have been climbing to record highs daily and shortages have been growing, which has led stores to limit how many eggs any one shopper can buy.
The big picture: The outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza that begun in 2022 has recently intensified.
In January, it affected 18.8 million egg laying hens, the highest monthly total of the three-year crisis, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
By the numbers: The USDA's Economic Research Service provided a range for its 2025 price-growth prediction of between 15% to 74.9%.
Egg prices already increased 13.8% in January after rising by 8.4% the prior month, the report said.
Prices this January were 53% higher than they were 12 months earlier.
State of play: Restaurants, including Waffle House and Denny's, have added temporary egg surcharges because of high egg prices and shortages.
But McDonald's has no plans to add an egg fee and is expanding its breakfast menu and offering a deal on Egg McMuffins this Sunday.
Michael Gonda, the fast-food giant's McDonald's North America chief impact officer, wrote on LinkedIn Tuesday that "unlike others making news recently, you definitely WON'T see McDonald's USA issuing surcharges on eggs, which are 100% cage-free and sourced in the U.S."
Trump admin plan to "make eggs affordable again"
What's next: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said today in a WSJ op-ed that the Trump administration "will invest up to $1 billion to curb this crisis and make eggs affordable again."
"We are working with the Department of Government Efficiency to cut hundreds of millions of dollars of wasteful spending," Rollins wrote. "We will repurpose some of those dollars by investing in long-term solutions to avian flu, which has resulted in about 166 million laying hens being culled since 2022."
Rollins noted prices should "start coming down maybe this spring, this summer as we work to implement some of these bigger picture solutions."
"Once we're past Easter, then we'll hopefully have some really good solutions for the American people," Rollins said.
The intrigue: If egg prices are still high for Easter, expect families to turn to alternatives like painting and hiding potatoes, an idea that sprouted in 2023 because of high prices.
More from Axios:
Tooth fairy payouts drop to lowest rate in years
Crafts retailer Joann going out of business; 19,000 jobs lost
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