TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — If you've gone to the store for last-minute Thanksgiving shopping, you may have noticed something unusual: eggs are hard to find, or at least hard to afford.
At Young Donuts, a bakery in Tucson, owners Robert and Terry Villelas are making inventory adjustments to compensate for the rising prices of eggs without raising the cost of food for customers.
“If we have to go thinner boxes, we’ll go thinner boxes,” Terry Villelas said.
It’s one of the sacrifices they’re considering with a case of eggs now costing them $71, a nearly 80% jump from its cost of around $40 in February, the Villelas recalled.
Young Donuts is not alone. Egg prices at the grocery store were up 30.4% in October from the year prior, according to the consumer-price index.
One driver behind the sharp price hikes is an outbreak of avian influenza, which has led to the loss of millions of laying hens in the last two years.
Professor Russell Tronstad from the University of Arizona explains that, particularly during April and May, the U.S. saw a significant decline in egg production after losing around 15 million hens.
Tronstad also noted that legislation promoting cage-free production is increasing layer hens' exposure to avian influenza.
"Even though the drop in production has been, maybe just 4 to 5%, it's translated to a 50% price increase due to the inelastic demand for eggs, especially during the holiday season with all the recipes that require eggs," Tronstad said.
However, there is a silver lining.
Economic forecasts suggest that egg production will increase by 4.2% in 2025, which could help bring prices back down to around two dollars per dozen, according to Tronstad.
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Maria Staubs is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Maria by emailing maria.staubs@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
