Egg prices climbing, likely to stay high through holidays

Since Puzzles Bakery and Cafe opened in March, the business’s purchase price for eggs has nearly tripled, according to owner Sara Hickey.

About 30 dozen eggs are included weekly in the Schenectady bakery’s sandwiches and baked goods. Hickey said the price jump in the recipe staple is taking a bite out of profits.

“We really don’t feel right about changing our prices for the customers and all of a sudden a breakfast sandwich costs double the price because we’re paying double the price for our eggs,” she said. “So, unfortunately, our business really has to eat that cost until the price of eggs goes back down.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Egg Market News Report, the national average wholesale price for a dozen eggs was approximately $2.35 on Sept. 14, up over $1 a dozen from the same time last year.

The avian influenza outbreak, which hit the United States in December, is a major culprit. Millions of birds have died or been euthanized because of it. Poultry in New York state has not been affected, but local businesses from farms to cafes are still feeling the effects.

Farms that had flocks wiped out by avian influenza need to rebuild their inventory of birds, so nationwide, egg prices are expected to remain high until supply can meet demand, said Steve Ammerman, spokesman for the New York Farm Bureau. He said the last reported case of avian influenza in the United States was in June, but egg prices aren’t expected to drop anytime soon.

“We are now entering the biggest time for egg consumption, with the holidays coming up, and all of the baking that’s going to be taking place, so certainly prices are going to remain high because demand is only going to increase over the next three months,” Ammerman said.

Thomas Poultry Farm in Schuylerville raises about 200,000 chickens and distributes eggs to businesses including Stewart’s Shops and Hannaford supermarkets. The influenza epidemic has prompted a precautionary increase in sanitation measures, said co-owner Jennifer Thomas. Truck bays may be added this fall to the premises to wash any vehicle that’s going farm-to-farm, and buildings may need to be fenced in to discourage introduction of the virus by unauthorized visitors. The measures will result in a significant expense for the farm, she said.

Egg prices at the farm fluctuate according to the national market.

“When it goes up, we go up. When it goes down, we go down,” Thomas said.

Five thousand pounds of liquid whole eggs weekly go into the Italian specialties produced at Pede Bros. in Rotterdam.

Over the past several months, co-owner David Pede said he’s seen his egg costs spike.

“We used to pay 89 cents a pound and now they’re $2.40,” he said.

The price jump prompted Pede Bros. to raise product prices in August, but Pede said it’s impossible to pass the entire increase on to consumers, so the business is still taking a hit.

In the past few months, the cost of whole eggs purchased by Skyport Restaurant in Glenville has more than doubled, according to Tina Drago, a server there.

The restaurant goes through between 45 and 60 dozen eggs a week.

In response to the increased cost, a meat and cheese omelet at Skyport has gone from $5.95 to $6.50, and a plate of two eggs and toast has jumped from $2.25 to $2.75.

“People ask why we are raising prices. We have to stay above water here,” Drago said.

Prices on egg dishes have also gone up at Burnt Hills Cafe, according to Chef Brian Wifladt.

Mona Golub, spokeswoman for Price Chopper and Market 32, said the egg market is stable and has been since mid-July. She said she expects prices to rise again in mid-October, when baking season begins.

Categories: Business, Food, News, Schenectady County