Summary
Egg producers blame the bird flu outbreak for record-high prices, but critics argue dominant companies are exploiting supply shortages to boost profits.
With over 166 million birds culled and egg layers significantly reduced, prices surged from under $2 to nearly $5 per dozen.
Egg supply is down only 4% from last year, yet profits have surged. Cal-Maine Foods, supplying 20% of U.S. eggs, reported a $219 million profit in the last quarter, compared to just $1.2 million before the outbreak, a 18,150% increase.
Lawmakers and advocacy groups are calling for a government investigation into potential monopolistic practices.
It wouldn’t surprise me if they were increasing prices not to take profits and keep them, but to increase profits and purchase politicians. You know… exactly like what’s been happening with this most recent “inflation,” we’ve had.
Oh no, when supply dwindles and the demand keeps up or increases, prices increase as well
As economic and market analysis predict it!
Color me surprised
In Trump’s America, that’s entirely plausible.
A DIY chicken coop is starting to look like a goldmine. It would pay for itself in a month or two. If you can repurpose some skids / pallets you can build one really cheap. Chicken feed doesn’t cost much.
Every person I’ve ever talked to who’s done this has said they regretted it.
Chickens are notoriously delicate.
Most people who think on doing this and succeed really love chickens and have a good way with understanding animals and the value of a life. It’s not for everyone
Narrator: “they are”
yes
They were told they are supposed to do it. Anyone who complains should be shown MAGAs support for it all the way through.
If true, Republicans also voted for it.
That is what zero regulations and zero enforcement gets you which is exactly what Trump embodies when gutting regulations and federal funding and jobs for enforcement agencies.
Nah, it’s the chickens holding the eggs hostage while they demand equal rights and better pay.
I mean, the article keeps mentioning “egg producers” which can only mean the chickens themselves. No human can actually produce the kind of eggs you want in your omelettes.
Yes. Next question.
100% they are.
I don’t know truth as I one saw YouTube Videos of grocery stores
Egg prices for a dozen… in Canada are around $4.75 (Canadian) In Mexico $53-$70 pesos… or around $2.50-$3.50 US
Edit: after quick search looks like Mexico avoided bird flu because they vaccinate their chickens… didn’t realize we are that strong against vaccination we won’t even vax the chix
The vaccination effort would increase man hour costs and the cost of the vaccines. Can’t do anything that might affect profits.
If you want to tell, look at the stock on the shelves.
If the shelves are full of eggs they’ve inflated the prices.
There should be a supply and demand problem for prices to raise organically.
They most probably are. Whenever there is high uncertainty in prices, producers will maximise profit by selling everything at the upper limit and use something like “safety buffer” or “restocking at a more expensive rate” bla as a bullshit excuse. Has been happening in Turkey for the last five years basically across every daily household product range and hospitality sector.
They did last time.
Yeah people act like this hasn’t been going on for years at this point.
Are capitalists being capitalist? More on that at 10.
Yes
A rare inversion of Betteridge’s law of headlines is “whenever someone questions whether or not the rich and powerful are exploiting everyone, the answer is yes”
It’s capitalism, baby!
Im not sure its the producers that inflate it. Its usually those between producer and consumer
It’s not capitalism, baby?
Maybe it’s Maybelline
