Grocery prices have skyrocketed across the nation over the past few months, with consumers taking notice of the inflated cost of several household staples.
Throughout the U.S., the cost of goods including butter, flour, milk, and eggs has risen exponentially in the past year, with eggs being a primary concern for poultry farms throughout the country.
In Mississippi alone, the price of eggs has increased to over triple its yearly average, with the statewide cost for a dozen grade A eggs currently ranging from six to eight dollars.
Within the past five years, the average cost for a dozen eggs in Mississippi has ranged between one and two dollars. One year ago, the price of eggs in the U.S. was around one dollar and fifty cents.
According to Mike McCormick, president of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, part of the reason for the inflated prices is because of the avian flu.
“Now, we’ve got a problem with avian influenza. We’ve lost 50 million chickens nationwide, so you’ve got this supply chain issue,” McCormick explained on MidDays with Gerard Gibert.
Each year, a chicken is projected to lay one egg every day, with the poultry industry estimating a loss of over 18 billion eggs this year alone.
McCormick added that the inflated prices can also be attributed to the increase in demand over the holidays, causing the shortage to worsen near the end of 2022.
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