Jan 9, 2025 By Karen Mansfield 4 min read

Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

The price of eggs has jumped and supply has been impacted by the avian flu, which has decimated poultry flocks nationwide.

A bird flu outbreak has Pennsylvanians paying more for eggs, with prices hitting new highs and consumers sometimes facing empty store shelves.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported increased cases of the virus in several states, impacting the cost and supply of eggs.

The USDA said current egg prices are nearly double what they were last year, leaving shoppers feeling the sting at the grocery store.

A dozen jumbo white eggs at grocery stores in the area will cost shoppers upwards of $5.66 a dozen.

Some stores in states like California and Rhode Island are limiting the number of cartons of eggs customers can purchase, but that hasn’t happened yet in Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association.

“I think, potentially, shortages might happen, but we’re not seeing it in our area yet,” said Jeff Duritza, co-owner of area Shop ‘n Save stores. “I don’t have any limits on purchases at our stores, but it could happen. There are no promises.”

At Giant Eagle in McMurray, a sign on the egg shelf reads, “Due to vendor supply issues, affected by the avian bird flu nationwide, we may be experiencing out of stock issues across various egg brands.”

Restaurants nationwide, too, have started raising their prices on the breakfast staple to reflect the higher cost of eggs.

Outbreaks of the highly pathogenic bird flu have decimated poultry flocks.

The CDC said more than 10 million birds in commercial and backyard flocks have been hit by the bird flu in the last 30 days. As of Wednesday, more than 130.6 million have been affected since 2022 in all 50 states.

Producers have responded to the outbreak by culling infected flocks to prevent further spread, which has led to a significant drop in egg production.

Avian influenza virus spreads through direct, bird-to-bird contact. The virus can also spread through contaminated surfaces or materials, such as manure, egg flats, crates, clothing, and hands.

The detection of avian flu is higher in the fall and spring because wild birds spread the virus to laying hens as they migrate to their seasonal home, according to the USDA.

Egg shortages are expected to ease around the country later this year, but consumers can expect price and availability to be impacted for the near future.

“It’s not getting better anytime soon. Things are looking worse rather than better as we look a bit down the road, but we’re doing everything in our power to at least get the eggs we can and to keep our prices as low as possible, said Duritza, in a phone call from Florida. “I was at a Publix, a big supermarket down here, and they didn’t have a single egg in their case.”

Duritza said inventory levels and costs have varied, depending on the brand of egg.

At Shop ‘n Save in Canonsburg, customers can purchase a dozen Hillandale jumbo brown eggs for $4.99 while supplies last, while an 18-pack carton of grade A large eggs can cost as much as $9.49.

On Tuesday, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding said the state is doing everything it can to protect the commonwealth’s poultry and dairy industries from the bird flu, including quarantines, testing poultry on farms and in live bird markets, and testing dairy cattle. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) also is available to farms for their workers.

As a precautionary measure, live bird exhibits at the 109th Pennsylvania Farm Show – now underway in Harrisburg and running through Jan. 11 – are limited only to birds headed for market, to prevent any possible spread of infection back to farms. An estimated 500,000 are expected to visit the farm show, and visitors are not allowed to handle or pet birds.

The current strain of avian influenza is labeled as a low risk to public health by the CDC.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, there have been no cases of bird flu in commercial poultry since February 2024.

But to date, 32 commercial flocks, 39 backyard flocks, and a total of more than 4.7 million birds have been affected by the outbreak in Pennsylvania. Recently, more than 200 snow geese found in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley are suspected to have been killed by the bird flu.