Eggs for sale at a grocery store – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Colleen Michaels
Florida might experience more of the alleged “egg-flation” than the majority of other states.
The Sunshine State was recognized as the second most costly state to purchase a dozen eggs by Instacart.
According to data, a dozen eggs typically cost $6.36. That represents a growth of 57 percent over the past year.
Hawaii won the top place over Florida. There, a dozen eggs typically cost more than $9.
Top 5 States Spending the Most on One Dozen Eggs
- Hawaii – $9.73 average (53 percent more than runner-up Florida)
- Florida – $6.36 average
- Alabama – $6.12 average
- Nevada – $6.07 average
- California – $6.05 average
Egg imports into the United States from Mexico have increased in number as well as price, which has increased by 59.9 percent year over year.
“There has been a large increase in the volume of prohibited food items, such as raw eggs and raw poultry meat, brought by travelers from Mexico. We would like to remind the traveling public that federal agricultural regulations remain in effect,” Jennifer De La O, CBP Director of Field Operations in San Diego, said in a recent release.
Roger Maier, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Public Affairs Specialist in El Paso, Texas, told Yahoo Finance he’s seen a dramatic “increase in people attempting to cross eggs from Juarez to El Paso because they are significantly less expensive in Mexico than the United States.”
So what’s causing the problem? The worst is avian influenza, which has killed almost 50 million birds this year. Since many are commercial layers, the supply has decreased by at least 5 percent.
The price of feed (corn and soybeans) and fuel (gas, diesel, electricity, and natural gas) required to transport eggs and run farms is rising as a result of inflation.
The final factor is elevated demand. Egg prices typically rise during the holidays (people use eggs more in bakery products). But because of inflation, there is also a rise in demand for eggs as consumers choose them over other protein sources, which are also experiencing rising prices.
Similar price rises occur when demand spikes around major holidays like Christmas and Easter. Price increases caused by avian influenza outbreaks like this one have historically occurred in 2015. However, prices decreased as the layers’ population recovered.
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Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
