Eggs- one of the most common ingredients worldwide, vital for the food industry, and consumed by humans for over 6 million years; however, for United States residents, this requisite ingredient use might be coming to a haulting stop.

As of March 2025, Trading Economics reported that some US grocery stores were selling eggs for $8.25, a record high for the country's history. As prices have risen and fallen over the past few weeks, grocery stores, restaurants, and families have all had to pivot based on this inconsistency.

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In grocery stores, owners have received plenty of backlash for the price tag on their cartons, some even implementing a "one dozen limit" per costumer. Similarly, restaurants have had to change age-old prices on customers as they simply cannot compete with the rising prices of eggs. For centuries, families have been serving up egg dishes for a hardy breakfast packed with protein.

Often using multiple cartons a week to feed the whole family; however, this crisis has led parents to think more creatively. Dropping the eggs and bringing in meals like smoothies, yogurt, and other protein-packed goodness.

What Is Happening?

The real answer is simple. The chickens have the flu.

Like young kids, the Bird Flu has outbreaks within the poultry community every year, however, the 2025 outbreak is the worst instance the country has seen in 10 years.

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What is the Bird Flu?

The bird flu can be easily broken down.

Every year, when wild birds begin to migrate, they spread diseases, including bird flu, to areas all over the country. Once infected, the virus can spread throughout the chicken's entire body, down to the ovaries where the eggs are formed. On large conglomerate farms, where the majority of US eggs are produced, the disease spreads like wildfire from one chicken to the next. According to the Agricultural Department, between December and January, 41 million birds were slaughtered to limit the spread of the disease.

With the influx in bird deaths, it will take months for farmers to clear their land of disease, obtain new birds, and raise them to the point they can lay eggs- hence the crisis of the past few months.

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What Will Happen Next?

Egg prices would usually be expected to be coming down in the next few weeks but with the upcoming holiday of Easter, the Department of Agriculture predicts these prices might last a bit longer than usual.

This issue stems outside of just your average grocer or shopper. Due to the impacts of the influenza, children and teens are being effected as well. In some cases, young adults might feel underprivileged in contrast to their peers who have access to the newest luxury item on the market. Eggs can be seen as a measure of wealth, especially with Easter around the corner, some kids are getting down about their circumstances.

Families are shifting to new creative ways of dyeing ”eggs” in the coming weeks. Whether it be painting rocks, potatoes, and wooden rounds to combat this discrepancy.

It is easy to forget how one trivial product can affect an entire nation, but it's true. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that roughly two-thirds of the total increase in food costs last month was due to the increase in egg prices.

As the country continues to grow and move past this pandemic, one can only hope that new systems will be put in place to regulate such nationwide hardships. And while the next few weeks may look rocky, it is important to remember that this is a regular occurrence, and soon, things will be back to normal.