Egg Prices Have Climbed Due to Bird Flu: What to Do

Yes, eggs are safe to eat during a bird flu outbreak, as long as you cook them properly. The CDC, USDA, and FDA all agree: cooking eggs until the yolk and white are firm, or reaching an internal temperature of [165°F](https://www. fsis. usda.

gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/safe-temperature-chart) for egg dishes, kills bird flu viruses and the bacteria that usually concern food safety experts. There is no evidence that anyone has gotten bird flu from eating properly cooked eggs or poultry. The reason prices are climbing has nothing to do with eggs being unsafe to sell, it's purely a supply problem.

When HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) hits a commercial flock, the entire operation gets shut down fast, millions of hens are lost almost overnight, and it takes many months before production comes back online. Less supply plus steady demand equals higher prices at the store.

Why egg prices jump during bird flu outbreaks

The price spike follows a pretty straightforward economic chain, but the scale of it can still be shocking. When HPAI is detected in a commercial laying flock, USDA policy requires rapid depopulation, meaning the entire flock is culled, sometimes within days of detection. The rationale is that HPAI spreads so quickly and is so fatal to birds that delays in depopulation would allow the virus to shed further into the environment and infect neighboring operations. There's no option to quarantine a portion of the flock and keep the rest producing eggs. It's all or nothing.

That creates sudden, large-scale production losses. During the 2014–2015 HPAI outbreak, USDA Economic Research Service data showed that benchmark egg prices in New York were about 61% higher from May through December 2015 compared with the same period the prior year. In 2022, when the deadliest HPAI outbreak in U.S. history hit, egg prices climbed from roughly $1.79 per dozen in December 2021 to about $4.25 per dozen by December 2022. In the more recent outbreak wave, USDA reported a New York wholesale benchmark price peaking at $8.53 per dozen before declining to $4.08 as of March 2025, still more than double what most shoppers were used to paying.

Trade restrictions compound the problem. During outbreaks, importing countries often restrict U.S. poultry and egg products out of precaution, which reduces the export market and creates further pricing pressure domestically. So the price you see at the store reflects both fewer eggs being produced and a disrupted global trading environment.

How bird flu affects egg production and supply chains

The production side of this problem is more complicated than it might seem, because recovery isn't quick. After a farm is depopulated, the premises go through a mandatory downtime period that includes environmental testing and USDA sampling before restocking is approved. Then, once replacement pullets are brought in, you're waiting for those young birds to mature. Commercial laying hens typically don't start producing eggs until they're about 18 to 22 weeks old. According to industry estimates, full recovery from an HPAI detection can take nine months to more than a year, sometimes up to two years to return to pre-outbreak production levels at the farm level.

At the supply chain level, this plays out as a rolling shortage. Outbreaks tend to ebb and flow with wild bird migration patterns, because wild waterfowl are the primary natural reservoir for HPAI viruses. When migratory birds pass through, virus pressure on commercial flocks increases. A new detection triggers another depopulation cycle.

That's why egg shortages during major outbreaks aren't a one-time event, they can stretch across multiple seasons as different farms are hit at different times. This is why many people ask, is bird flu causing egg shortage, especially during major HPAI waves. Retail prices tend to lag slightly behind wholesale swings because retailers smooth out short-term fluctuations, but eventually the wholesale price movements filter through to what you pay.

Egg and food safety: what risk is (and isn't) involved

This is where a lot of the confusion happens, so let's be direct about what the science actually says. The risk from eating eggs during a bird flu outbreak is not from the eggs themselves being infected, commercial egg processing already includes mass scanning for cracked shells and other defects. The theoretical food-safety risk that the CDC and FDA flag is from consuming undercooked or raw eggs that might somehow come from an infected bird. The practical solution is simple: cook your eggs thoroughly.

The FDA says to cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm, and to cook egg-containing dishes (casseroles, quiches, frittatas) to an internal temperature of 165°F. blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The CDC confirms that cooking poultry products to 165°F kills bird flu viruses. For microwave cooking, FDA guidance specifies reaching 165°F throughout the dish and letting it stand covered for two minutes before serving. These are the same food safety basics you'd follow for any egg dish, bird flu or not. If you use pasteurized egg products, those are also considered safe for preparations where fully cooking isn't possible.

The USDA and FDA jointly assessed the human health risk from HPAI in shell eggs and egg products, and the conclusion for properly handled and cooked eggs is reassuring: they are safe to eat. The exposure risk for the general public comes from direct contact with infected animals or their materials, not from eating eggs that went through normal commercial processing and were cooked properly.

How to check outbreak status and trustworthy updates

The best way to stay informed without getting swept up in alarming headlines is to go directly to official sources. For outbreak status, USDA APHIS maintains two key dashboards: one for confirmed HPAI detections in commercial and backyard flocks, and a Wild Bird Avian Influenza Surveillance Dashboard that functions as an early warning system based on detections in migratory wild birds. APHIS notes that commercial flock counts can ebb and flow with virus levels and wild bird movement seasons, so checking periodically (not daily) gives you a better picture of overall trends than any single news story.

• USDA APHIS: Confirmed HPAI in Commercial and Backyard Flocks (dashboard updated as detections are confirmed)
• USDA APHIS: Wild Bird Avian Influenza Surveillance Dashboard (early warning indicator)
• CDC Bird Flu page: Current risk assessment for the general public, human case updates, and food safety guidance
• USDA ERS Charts of Note: For tracking egg price trends and production data over time
• Your state's department of agriculture: For local flock detections that might affect regional supply

When you read news coverage, pay attention to whether the story is about detections in wild birds, commercial flocks, or backyard flocks, these have very different implications for egg supply and price. If you are also wondering whether is bird flu affecting chicken prices, the same outbreak dynamics can ripple across poultry markets egg supply and price. A wild bird detection near your area doesn't automatically mean local egg prices will spike. A large commercial laying operation being depopulated in a major egg-producing state, however, will show up in wholesale prices within weeks.

At-home precautions for buying, storing, and cooking eggs

The good news is that the safe egg-handling steps during a bird flu outbreak are the same ones food safety experts recommend year-round. You don't need a separate bird-flu protocol, you just need to follow the basics consistently.

1. Refrigerate eggs promptly at 40°F or below, and keep them in their original carton to avoid absorbing odors and to track the sell-by date.
2. Cook eggs until both the yolk and white are completely firm. Avoid runny yolks, sunny-side-up preparations where the white isn't fully set, or dishes using raw egg (Caesar dressing made with raw egg, tiramisu, etc.) unless you're using pasteurized eggs.
3. Cook egg dishes like casseroles, quiches, and frittatas to an internal temperature of 165°F — use a food thermometer, not a visual guess.
4. Wash hands, surfaces, and utensils after handling raw eggs. Use the USDA's CLEAN, SEPARATE, COOK, CHILL framework.
5. Use hard-cooked eggs within one week of cooking.
6. Don't wash eggs before storing — commercial eggs have a protective coating applied during processing, and washing removes it.
7. If you keep backyard chickens, check your state's APHIS guidance on flock biosecurity, because backyard flocks can be infected by wild birds and are not subject to commercial processing controls.

Shopping and budget strategies when eggs get expensive

When egg prices double or triple, it helps to think about eggs as an ingredient with alternatives, not an irreplaceable staple. Here are strategies that actually work when prices are high.

Reduce waste first

The fastest way to lower your egg spending is to stop wasting the eggs you already buy. Use eggs that are getting close to their date in baked goods, frittatas, or scrambles before moving on to fresher cartons. Hard-cooked eggs keep for a week in the fridge, batch cook them and use them throughout the week as quick protein.

Compare formats and stores

During price spikes, the difference between store-brand conventional eggs at a warehouse club versus a specialty grocery can be substantial. Liquid pasteurized egg products (sold in cartons) are often priced differently than shell eggs and are convenient for baking, scrambles, and omelets. They're also fully safe for any preparation since they're pasteurized. Frozen whole eggs and egg whites are another option for baking that can be bought in bulk when prices dip. Check multiple stores rather than defaulting to your usual one.

Protein substitutes when eggs are just too expensive

If you bake frequently, it's worth keeping a couple of these substitutes on hand during prolonged price spikes. You don't need to replace every egg in your diet, just shift your most egg-heavy recipes to use substitutes and save real eggs for the dishes where they're hardest to replace (like fried eggs or egg salad).

When to worry more: human risk factors and symptoms to watch

The CDC's current public health risk assessment for the general public in the U.S. remains low for H5N1 bird flu. For most people buying eggs at the grocery store and cooking them at home, the risk of contracting bird flu from eggs is effectively zero when proper cooking is followed. But there are specific situations where the risk picture changes, and it's worth knowing them.

The people at higher risk are those with direct exposure to infected animals or contaminated environments: poultry farm workers, people who handle sick or dead birds, and those who work in live bird markets. Backyard flock owners are also in a higher-exposure category than the general public. If you fall into any of these groups, the CDC recommends taking additional precautions including wearing appropriate protective equipment when handling birds, and being vigilant about monitoring for symptoms after potential exposure.

Symptoms of bird flu in humans typically appear within 2 to 5 days of exposure and can include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, eye redness or discharge, and in severe cases, respiratory distress. If you have had direct contact with sick or dead birds and develop these symptoms, contact your healthcare provider and mention the potential exposure, that context matters for how your doctor evaluates and reports your case.

For everyone else, the clearest risk reduction steps are already covered above: cook eggs thoroughly, avoid raw or undercooked preparations from non-pasteurized eggs, and don't handle sick or dead wild birds. If you see a large number of dead wild birds, report it to your state's wildlife agency rather than handling the birds yourself. The risk from eating properly cooked eggs at your kitchen table is not a reason to cut eggs out of your diet, it's just a reason to cook them all the way through, which you probably should have been doing anyway.