Why egg prices are surging, but chicken prices are falling
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Eggs are the one food item where costs are rising at the quickest rate in decades. But in October, chicken prices decreased
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Acc. to economists, the U.S. is currently experiencing a major bird flu outbreak that has killed many egg-laying hens but mainly spared chicks kept for meat production
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Acc. to the consumer price index of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, egg prices increased by 10% in October, the biggest monthly increase of any supermarket item
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In contrast, the No. 2 category, "meal at employee sites and schools," saw a monthly price increase of 3.8%. That represents less than half the rise in eggs.
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Acc. to federal data, consumers paid an average of $3.42 for a dozen Grade A, big eggs in October, up from $1.82 a year earlier.
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Since October 2021, only margarine inflation (47%) has outpaced the whole egg category (43%) in terms of inflation.
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One of the worst bird flu outbreaks in U.S. history is mostly to blame for rising egg prices.
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the virus has affected about 50.3 million birds, according to recent information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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The CDC reported that the most recent outbreak occurred in 2015 and affected a record 50.5 million birds
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The New Jersey Department of Agriculture issued a warning last month that avian flu is "extremely contagious" and is typically carried by wild birds like ducks and geese
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According to Moscogiuri, this has caused around 37 million egg-laying chickens, or "layers," to pass away since the year 2022
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Approximately 8.8 million eggs were produced in September, down from approximately 9.7 million in December 2021.