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February 15, 2025 - Negotiated wholesale prices for graded loose eggs continued to move higher with a firm undertone. Demand is in a full range with retail business seeing the most interest. Offerings are very light to light with little chance for improvement in the near-term as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continues to impact productive flocks. Supplies remain very light to moderate. Trading is active for available offerings. Prices for national trading of trucklot quantities of graded, loose, White Large shell eggs increased $0.40 to $7.74 per dozen with a higher undertone. The wholesale price on the New York market for formula trading of Large cartoned shell eggs delivered to retailers rose $0.28 to $8.23 per dozen with a firm undertone. In the major Midwest production region, wholesale prices for Large, white, shell eggs delivered to warehouses increased $0.34 to $7.81 per dozen with a firm undertone while prices paid to producers for Large cartoned shell eggs increased $0.39 to $7.64 per dozen. The California benchmark for Large shell eggs rose $0.06 to $9.17 per dozen with a fully steady undertone. Delivered prices on the Californiacompliant wholesale loose egg market increased $0.03 to $8.68 per dozen with a mostly firm undertone.

Related: Nevada U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen Calls Out Trump Administration for Breaking Promise to Lower Grocery Prices, Doing Nothing to Address Egg Shortage



Shell egg demand was about unchanged over the past week and remains strong relative to the current supply situation. Outbreaks of HPAI in commercial table egg layer flocks continue to slow flock recovery efforts. Supply remains unbalanced and dependent upon the impact of HPAI on source farms as marketers whose regular suppliers have been impacted are working to find new short-term supply sources in a very competitive market atmosphere. Shell egg availability remains limited and inconsistent in many retail markets with affected grocers employing steps to limit consumer purchasing to stretch their existing supplies. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, in January, the Consumer Price Index for eggs increased 15.2%, 153% over the year ago level, with an average price of $4.95 per dozen, up $0.81 per dozen from last month. Demand from egg products manufacturers declined sharply following last week’s sharp price spikes as those that were caught short stepped in, covered their needs, and stepped back out. Most have returned to operating day-to-day as they await improvements in the supply situation.

Feature activity for conventional caged Large shell eggs is not recorded this week as grocers are limiting shell egg advertising to maintain a consistent supply. The pace of specialty shell egg featuring remains very limited and largely focused this week on freerange, non-organic types. Most feature activity is in the Northeast this cycle with limited promotions in the Northwest. Feature activity for UEP-defined cage-free shell eggs is not recorded this week and the price spread on feature between 12-packs of Large caged eggs and UEP cage-free eggs is not calculated this week. Grocers continue to avoid incentivizing shell egg movement as they work to maintain a consistent supply to their customers in the current environment.

The overall shell egg inventory was unchanged while the national inventory of Large class shell eggs posted a slight increase. Stocks of Large shell eggs in the key Midwest region gained just over one percent as supply and demand balanced over the past week. The inventory share of Large class shell eggs remained at a 50% share of all shell egg stocks on inventory at the start of the week. Stocks of cage-free eggs gained 4% while stocks of nutritionally-enhanced eggs decreased 4%. Stocks of organic shell eggs were down 2% and breaking stock inventory declined 4.5% to its lowest level since April 2017 as breakers are forced to draw down their stocks to maintain reduced schedules given continued very limited spot market offerings. Total estimated table egg production is about unchanged from last week and down slightly from last year to a year-to-year deficit the equivalent of 5.3 million cases in total. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, in January, the Producer Price Index (a measure of average prices received by producers of domestically produced goods and services), for Large shell eggs increased 48.8% to a level 300.7% over the level in January 2024.

Wholesale prices for breaking stock in the Central States rose $0.06 to $6.46 per dozen with a firm undertone. Demand and offerings are very light to light with very light to, at times, moderate supplies. Movement is generally moderate and breaking schedules are reduced and running 7% behind year ago levels. The volume of eggs processed last week decreased just over 1.5% while the share of weekly table egg production remains about 28%. Production of whole egg gained just under 3.5% while component production was down – whites by 4% and yolk by just over 10%. Dried egg production increased sharply, up 20.5% following several weeks of decline. Production of inedible egg was down nearly 3%. Breaking yields without inedible improved about a half pound to 42.00 pounds per case broken.

Wholesale prices for certified liquid whole eggs are sharply higher again this week with a mostly higher undertone. Demand is good, best for whole egg, for light to very light offerings and trading is moderate to active. Wholesale prices on whole frozen eggs are $1.33 higher at $4.44 with frozen whites not tested and last quoted at $3.50 per pound. The undertone is firm with a full range of demand for light to very light offerings. Supplies are mostly light with moderate to active trading.

Prices for whole dried eggs remain too few to report with those for whole dried egg last quoted at $9.60 per pound and those for dried yolk at $7.40 per pound. The undertone is higher with good to very good demand for light to very light offerings and supplies. Trading is moderate to active. According to NASS, the December monthly volume of frozen eggs in storage declined 7% from November, 38% below the December 2023 level. This is the lowest level of egg products stocks recorded in the last 10 years. Stocks of whole frozen egg decreased 5%, 33% below last year and the share of whole egg stocks gained 1% to a 45% share of total frozen stocks. Stocks of frozen yolk declined 12% but were 61% under last year’s level while stocks of frozen egg whites were down 6%, 44% below year ago levels. Stocks of unclassified eggs declined 9% from last month and 40% from last year. The share of unclassified frozen stocks fell one percent to a 45% share of total frozen stocks

Source: USDA AMS Livestock & Poultry Program, Livestock, Poultry, and Grain Market News Division