If the price of eggs is leaving you shell-shocked, you’re not alone—but blame bird flu, not inflation.

Grocery prices overall have surged as part of a general inflation trend that has bloated costs for consumer items since spring 2021. Egg prices, however, have more than doubled over the last year for a reason separate from broader economic trends. An outbreak of bird flu has decimated poultry flocks, killing 43 million egg-laying hens in 2022, according to the Department of Agriculture. 

The ensuing egg shortage drove the price of a dozen grade-A eggs to $4.25 in December, more than double the $1.79 average in December 2021, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows. The chart below shows how egg prices have surged far more than groceries in general. 

Fortunately for omelet lovers, the government forecasts egg prices to gradually go down in the coming months as farmers continue to rebuild their egg-laying flocks. 

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