With the soaring prices of eggs, will we still be able to afford Easter?
Egg prices have been on a steady rise in the last few years. According to NerdWallet, three years ago, they were on average $2, but starting in 2022, that price has drastically increased, plateauing at $8.17 on March 3 of this year. And while they have averaged out to $6.22, that is still a significant difference from only three years prior.
This change was due to many reasons. First, inflation, the increase the prices of all items. It happens naturally over time as the value of the dollar decreases. This change is expected and, to nobody’s surprise, inflation has increased in recent years.
The more significant reason, however, is the Avian Flu. The Avian flu, better known as the bird flu, is a viral infection that spreads to birds. It usually does not affect humans but can potentially spread to humans through the consumption of eggs from hens with the virus, which is just as dangerous as the flu to humans. As a preventative measure against this, the CDC requires any hens with the disease to be put down. This is done not only to prevent the spread to humans but to prevent the spread to other hens, thus increasing pricing even more.
In the spring of 2024, a Bird Flu outbreak heavily affected domesticated birds and cattle. Under this umbrella are a large majority of the poultry in the U.S. with over 168 million having contracted the disease and being put down, leading to fewer hens to produce eggs.
So, how much does this affect our Easter fun this year?
Well, not much. Even though one of the main things about Easter fun is eggs, we don’t actually use real eggs for many things. The biggest part, Easter egg hunts, is done with plastic eggs instead of real eggs. The only things egg prices affect are egg decorating and egg dyeing.
However, many have found a solution to this problem: potatoes!
Yes, I was just as confused as you when I heard about it. Out of nowhere, this trend of using potatoes instead of eggs has sprung up. All over social media, there are videos of people painting and dyeing potatoes because “the prices of eggs are getting way too high.”
This doesn’t stop at just colorful potatoes, though. Potatoes are being used in one of the most popular egg-based dishes, deviled eggs. Deviled eggs, dubbed deviled potatoes, have been circulating recently. Multiple recipes for the potato-based snack are springing up, saying they are supposed to deliver the creamy and tangy flavor of deviled eggs without the huge price. I don’t know about you, but it is cheaper and seems interesting, so I am willing to try it. And who knows, if prices continue to rise, it may become Easter potatoes instead of Easter eggs.
