Consumers and restaurant owners were upset late last year because egg prices in the United States had doubled.
That’s nothing compared with what is happening now.
Americans shared their experiences on Facebook, but with no mention of devastating flock losses to highly-pathogenic avian influenza as a reason.
They are talking about retail prices ranging from a special at Meijer’s stores – probably in Michigan – at $2.49 a dozen to $10 at the other extreme. And that's in U.S. currency.
Several cited Walmart at $5.99 a dozen and one or two said they found stores that were sold out of eggs.
There were others at $6.11 and $7.28 a dozen.
For cartons with 18 eggs the prices were from $5.99 to $7.70, $9.14 and $15 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
One lady said she is going to paint potatoes for Easter, but another said they’re also too expensive and recommended painting rocks. A few said they will be buying plastic eggs.
In Canada, egg prices are among the most inflated in Statistics Canada food-price survey, yet they are enviously steady compared with the U.S. market.
And this year, for the first time in my experience, Ontario’s two dominant egg-grading companies are restrained in their importing of eggs from the U.S.
That should also be welcome news for egg farmers who have been annually stung with surplus-removal charges after Easter.
