{"id":5787,"date":"2025-02-03T14:42:43","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T20:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/?p=5787"},"modified":"2025-02-17T11:56:51","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T17:56:51","slug":"the-price-of-eggs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cooking2thrive.com\/blog\/the-price-of-eggs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Price of Eggs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every day, I\u2019m reminded of the old clich\u00e9, what\u2019s that got to do with the price of eggs in China? The price of eggs in the US is mentioned somewhere in the news or online Every. Single. Day. So, let\u2019s talk about it.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Eggs are an ingredient in many entrees, baked goods, and desserts. Many breakfast plates center around them. Most of us keep some in our refrigerator at all times. Due to their ubiquitous nature, even a slight increase in the price of eggs eats into the margins of restaurants, grocery stores, and food producers unless they increase consumer prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how expensive are they?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, in my regular grocery store, a dozen large white eggs is $4.53. Another local store lists a dozen grade A large white eggs at $3.99. Other local stores are charging $5 to $6. Even at $6, we fall on the low end of the spectrum. At my regular grocery store in LA, a dozen jumbo white eggs runs $9.27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than $9 for a dozen eggs sounds ridiculous. Maybe it is. But until H5N1 is brought under control in poultry population, the price will continue to rise. We will have to pay more or find substitutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interesting thing to me is that rarely do you see the price of eggs, or beef, or pork as ingredients in your kitchen compared with the price of we pay to consume these ingredients as part of packaged or restaurant food. We seem to lose our minds over the price of a carton of eggs for our refrigerator while not blinking an eye at an $11 hamburger from a fast food restaurant or a $4 muffin from the bakery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could say we\u2019ll pay a lot for convenience. And that seems to be true. But I\u2019m not sure we typically examine these costs closely or in any meaningful context. Sure, if you eat at home you will have to exert more effort. If you drink cocktails at home, you\u2019ll have to invite people over to get a similar social experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it seems crazy to scream about raw ingredients being expensive while paying too much for mediocre food on a regular basis without any similar complaint. If you have the money, it\u2019s fine to make a choice to pay more for atmosphere, swiftness, convenience, and social interactions. But if you\u2019re doing it without making a conscious choice, it\u2019s possible you could mitigate the effects of higher egg prices on your household by examining this more comprehensively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not saying that higher ingredient prices are inconsequential. They\u2019re making a lot of our lives harder. I\u2019m simply saying that thinking about things differently can be helpful when we\u2019re forced into changing circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even at today\u2019s prices, eggs fall in the middle range when compared to other proteins. Here is a snapshot of today\u2019s price for fresh, ready-to-cook meat, poultry, fish, and seafood in the south central US at a single big box store. From that, we calculated the price per day for 5.5 ounces of protein \u2013 the daily serving recommendation<\/a> per person from the American Heart Association. <\/p>\n\n\n\n