Feb. 11. For decades, it was “The Incredible, Edible Egg.” And now it’s all that and much more. That is, more expensive.

Egg prices have soared nationwide with the latest waves of bird flu and no end in sight.

Cornelius Today | Business Today checked egg prices at the five 28031 groceries on Saturday. We found some empty spots on shelves and limits on the number of dozens you can buy.

And we found a lot of sticker shock.

Eggsamples

At Aldi, which had limited quantities of organic cage free eggs for $5.46 a dozen and pasture raised for $6.19, had a limit of two dozen per customer. A 32-ounce container of liquid egg white was $4.39.

At check-out, a customer told the cashier she and her husband celebrated their anniversary earlier in the week. Instead of a dozen roses, she asked her husband to get her two dozen eggs. He did. She was delighted and made French toast and a cake.

At Harris Teeter in Jetton Village, the fully stocked display case drew a small group, eyeing prices from $4.99 a dozen for store brand to $7.39 a dozen for Nellie’s.

Background

“The prices have to go back down,” one Harris Teeter shopper said.

Probably not. Inflation has pushed up their cost. Then the ongoing bird-flu outbreak led to shortages. Many grocery chains no longer consider eggs a loss-leader and aren’t absorbing the rising costs.

The average price of a dozen eggs in U.S. cities remained below $2 until 2022. Eggs now cost an average of more than $4 a dozen. Eggs traditionally have been considered a good source of protein. A large egg contains about 6 grams of protein, as well as vitamins and minerals.

The USDA has forecasted a 20 percent further price jump for eggs in 2025.

Lowest, highest

Back in Cornelius, The Fresh Market had the least expensive eggs at $3.99 a dozen for your basic cage-free eggs. Prices went up to $8.49.

Publix, which had empty spots in its display case, posted notes saying “Items in this section have limited availability due to supply challenges. We are working to bring these products back as soon as possible. Check back regularly, as our stores are receiving routine deliveries.”

The lowest price was $4.89 and the highest $6.57 at Publix.

Food Lion sported mostly empty shelves with the lowest price of $5.49 a dozen. Thirty eggs cost $12.89; the price at Harris Teeter for that amount was $9.99.

Beating egg costs

If you’re thinking about freezing eggs to hedge your bets against rising egg prices, you can do that. Raw and cooked eggs can be frozen; Google the idea for methods and longevity details.

Restaurants and bakeries are getting hit, too, so prices may go up. A recent The Atlantic Daily newsletter, wrote one sign that the egg-cost crisis has gotten dire came in the form of a bright-yellow sticker on a laminated breakfast menu: Waffle House announced that it would be adding a temporary 50-cent surcharge to each egg ordered.

Quail eggs

Looking for something different? Quail eggs at Publix were $5.99 for 15. Eggs From Plants cost $6.99 to $7.49 for a 16-ounce container.

Do you remember “The Incredible, Edible Egg” marketing slogan for the American Egg Board? It was created in 1976 by the advertising agency Campbell Mithun and used at least through the 1990s.