Eggs-orbitant: Why poultry has been so expensive in US this year

New Delhi: Egg prices in the US have seen a massive jump of 49%, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With several grocery items getting more expensive, eggs have been on top of the list.

An elevated feed and energy costs for producers, in addition to high demand in the supermarket, avian flu has also reduced poultry flocks and made eggs very expensive.

US has been facing avian flu for several months now but wholesale prices have been hitting records in recent weeks, says a CNN report.

Rising food costs impact holiday season

Americans have been bracing for a costly holiday season this year since Thanksgiving, with double-digit percent increases in the price of turkey, potatoes, stuffing, canned pumpkin and other staples. The U.S. government estimates food prices will be up 9.5% to 10.5% this year; historically, they’ve risen only 2% annually.

Lower production and higher costs for labor, transportation and items are part of the reason; disease, rough weather and the war in Ukraine are also contributors.

“This really isn’t a shortage thing. This is tighter supplies with some pretty good reasons for it,” said David Anderson, a professor and agricultural economist at Texas A&M.

Wholesale turkey prices are at record highs after a difficult year for U.S. flocks. A particularly deadly strain of avian flu — first reported in February on an Indiana turkey farm — has wiped out 49 million turkeys and other poultry in 46 states this year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

As a result, U.S. turkey supplies per capita are at their lowest level since 1986, said Mark Jordan, the executive director of Jonesboro, Arkansas-based Leap Market Analytics.

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