This is just a tiny glimpse of the data available to CivicScience clients. Discover more data.
A dozen eggs are going for an average of nearly $5, the most expensive a carton has gone for in 45 years, according to data collected by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The current price of a dozen large, grade-A eggs has only temporarily been beaten out by the inflation-adjusted price at the start of 2023. The reason for the latest price surge and subsequent egg shortage: is H5N1.
Avian flu, or bird flu, has hit the agricultural ecosystem hard before, but it has never been this devastating. U.S. poultry farmers have had to eliminate millions of hens to keep the spread of H5N1 at bay and have spent considerable dollars keeping their facilities clean and workers healthy.
While the risk for consumers is low at this time, the price per egg is way past what shoppers are used to, alongside the fact they’re also harder to find. How is the egg crisis affecting America’s egg buyers?
Over the last month, 44% of consumers say they have run into issues getting eggs (either ‘multiple times’ or ‘once or twice’), and more than half say they are buying less. A strong majority of egg buyers cite rising egg prices as the primary reason they are buying less. At this point in time, concerns about the disease itself (H5N1) don’t seem to play a huge role in whether or not people are buying fewer eggs – purchasing behavior is currently primarily affected by price and egg availability.
Let us Know: How often do you eat eggs?
The effect of the egg crisis on shopping habits is varied. While 34% of egg buyers indicate they are buying fewer eggs, 26% have had to accept the elevated price and simply spend more money. A small cohort reports shopping at multiple stores, likely to circumvent store limits on packs of eggs per customer. A little more than one-third (34%) of egg buyers say the shortage hasn’t impacted their shopping habits yet.
It’s possible that grocery delivery could change shopping habits now or in the future. People who are cutting back on egg buying at this time are more likely to have used grocery delivery services than those who aren’t cutting back.
Diving deeper into how committed people are to having eggs for their weekend omelet, the data show that Sam’s Club or Walmart and co-op shoppers are cutting back on eggs more than consumers who usually shop at local/regional grocery stores or Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or Costco.
Important note on consumer sentiment: consumers who prioritize brand over price are more likely to cite the egg shortage as their reason for buying fewer eggs. But people who say price is more important to them say they are buying fewer eggs because of price.
Grocery Store Eggs Trend Down
In general, purchasing eggs from a supermarket is trending down. The majority of egg buyers still purchase eggs at a supermarket (81%), but CivicScience polling shows this is a two percentage point decrease since it last studied where people buy eggs in 2021 (83%). This means that consumers are relying on farmer’s markets, farm stands, and co-ops for their eggs more so than they were three years ago. Despite geographically focused pockets of backyard chicken enthusiasts, the Gen Pop is less likely to collect eggs from chickens they own or from a friend or neighbor than in past years.
Answer our Poll: Has the rise in egg prices affected your ability to purchase eggs on a regular basis?
Federal agencies and farmers are well-versed in biosecurity practices and are doing everything they can to contain outbreaks of H5N1, and, more importantly, its spread to humans. It’s still likely that the price of a dozen eggs will stay elevated until the bird flu is more under control. As prices stay elevated, will consumers look for egg substitutes to reduce costs?
