How Soaring Egg Prices Are Changing Food Habits

• A dramatic rise in egg prices to $6 per dozen has been attributed to the incidence of bird flu, many are now reconsidering their options and shopping habits.
• More and more people have been opting for plant-based alternatives, neighbourhood purchases, and searching for eggless recipes, which might be permanent.

Eggs are now being sold for a whopping $6 a dozen, and this has left many families contemplating how to stretch their grocery budgets. The once-affordable-and-reliable staple has, decidedly, taken on luxury status. The sudden spike in egg prices was due to a violent bird flu outbreak that decimated millions of egg-laying hens, creating an acute supply shortage. But heavy prices and empty shelves are not the only legacies of the event; they transform how we cook, shop, and think about food.

Prices of Labels Are in Shock

Compared to last year, egg prices increased by 28%, averaging $6.30 a dozen, as per Earnest Analytics. In California, high local regulations and seasonal demands pushed prices above $8.85. Eggs were once an inexpensive staple, now denied to many families.

That’s the sticker shock: just when most people have begun going crazy, sales have dropped 15% lower by January 2024 as families make projections on their new normal. People also share tips online on how to find substitutes or cheaper alternatives to eggs in recipes. The Purdue University study showed that food prices, including eggs, are climbing much faster than other household costs. To cope, shoppers either reduce their purchase amounts, choose store brands, and/or go into discount hunting.

How People Are Adapting 

People are becoming inventive and making do, even in the face of high prices:

• Egg Substitute: Plant-based alternatives like JUST Egg are now more common and not only intended for vegans but also a cost-effective choice for anybody in need of one.
• Innovative Cooks: Eggs today cost a fortune, so people are showing culinary creativity. For most people, social media and even TikTok today are filled with eggless baking ideas and strange recipes. Fads such as “egg flights,” literally artful garnishing with truffle oil and edible gold, are rapidly going viral as proof that necessity is the mother of invention.
• Shopping Locally: With people looking for fresher and cheaper eggs, both farmers’ markets and backyards with chicken coops are bustling. Local producers have been having a good interest, which indicates that local is not about sustainability only.
• Wisest Shopping: Buyers are becoming smarter shoppers, either switching to a cheaper brand, stockpiling when prices go down, or just reducing egg consumption. This change will upend the way stores like Costco and Walmart restock their aisles.

Lasting Habit Changes 

Unless or until egg prices return to normal, it is likely that this will also affect shopping and eating habits in the long run. As per the USDA, a mere 1% drop in egg production is anticipated this year, meaning stabilisation in prices is not far-fetched. Meanwhile, consumers developing new habits by trying plant-based substitutes or local purchases may continue to do so long after prices return to normal.

The egg shortage has also made apparent the wider issues of food affordability. Purdue University’s report clearly shows that food inflation lands hardest on the most vulnerable groups, where 26% of those admitted as being in poor health are food insecure, equated with just 8% in good health. Rising gas prices serve as another added burden, forcing families to be more inventive with their meal and shopping habits.

Rethinking Food and Shopping

This egg crisis isn’t only about soaring prices; perhaps, even more, it is changing our concepts about food. From recipes without eggs to backyard chicken ranching, adapting to just about anything seems to be the order of the day. It also makes one rethink where food comes from and how resilient our food systems can become.

While nobody knows when egg prices will touch the ground again, one thing is for sure: Families have employed a plethora of creative tricks just to cope. There are adapting people with fewer recipes that contain eggs, being open to experimenting with plant-based substitutes or supporting farmers in their very backyard.

What Next?

The 2025 egg crisis might soon fade into oblivion, perhaps within the same period, but the realisations and changes that were brought about by it would last much longer. Who knows—maybe the very idea of food, cooking, and sustainability would have entered a new phase. For now, families do what families do—trying to make the best of what they’ve got, one meal at a time.