Producers blame avian flu for the soaring costs, but one farmers’ group is airing accusations of price-gouging
at this boon, calling themselves “egg dealers”, weighing their produce as if it were a kilo of drugs.
an end is in sight: as of 20 January, loose egg prices have declined by 52% from their high the week of 18 December. But in the stores that I visited, that decline was not translating into lower prices for the consumer.Photograph: Edwin Remsberg/Getty Imagesoutbreak of H1N1, a particularly virulent strain of avian flu that has a near 100% fatality rate among birds. This reduction in supply of egg-laying birds has sent prices soaring.
Farm Action’s investigation began with an analysis by the USDA, which noted that the industry had not taken the proper steps to increase flock sizes and replace birds lost to avian flu.“The only answer is that companies are working together to capitalize on these convenient excuses, using avian flu and inflation to set higher prices for the consumer,” said Huffman.
Max P Bowman, vice-president and CFO of Cal-Maine, the country’s largest egg supplier, denies these claims. He issued a statement referring to the USDA’s division of animal and plant health inspection, which reported that there were 306 million layer hens for table or market type eggs as of 1 January, down 6% from a year earlier.
At delis and corner stores I visited, prices were cheaper than supermarkets but still would have been unimaginable just a year ago, ranging from $6.90 to $8.99 a dozen. John Philips, who owns the longstanding Mansion Diner, said that demand for omelets and other egg dishes was still high, despite a recent price increase.
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