Soaring egg prices now putting pressure on US consumers and businesses

Chickens are out of their cages and they're doing just fine - but the market isn't. Photo / NZME

Chickens may not be able to fly very far, but the price of eggs is soaring.

A lingering bird flu outbreak, combined with soaring feed, fuel and labor costs, has led to US egg prices more than doubling over the past year, and hatched a lot of sticker shock on grocery aisles.

The latest government data shows the national average price for a dozen eggs hit US$3.59 (NZ$5.64) in November.

That’s putting stress on consumer budgets and the bottom line of food producers and restaurants that rely heavily on eggs as an ingredient.

More than 43 million of the 58 million birds slaughtered over the past year to help control bird flu were egg-laying chickens.

But even with the price increases, eggs remain relatively affordable compared to other proteins like chicken and beef.

Americans in recent years have increased the number of eggs they consume while reducing their intake of beef and venison, according to official data.

Egg consumption has grown in part because more families are eating them as their main protein substitute, Los Angeles Times reporter Sonja Sharp told CBS News.

“Each of us eats about as many eggs as one hen can lay a year,” she told CBS.

In New Zealand, a nationwide egg shortage has driven up wholesale prices and impacted commercial bakers.

RNZ said a ban on battery-caged hens left some supermarket shelves empty and prompted cartons to be rationed.

The Egg Producers Federation said more than 75 per cent of chicken farmers had to change their farming methods or their career because of the ban.

Wellington-based Nada Bakery manager Michael Gray told RNZ the shortage had exacerbated already high prices.

-By AP, RNZ