No yolk: New York egg prices soar as bird flu rages

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - Eggs are displayed for sale in a Manhattan grocery store. – Pic by AFP

NEW YORK, March 1 – Every penny counts when Crismerly Osorio Anderson buys groceries, something that has become even more pressing as egg prices threaten to derail her budget.

In some stores, the price of the kitchen staple has jumped so much that they are now being sold individually.

Anderson bought three loose eggs in a plastic bag for US$2.90 (RM12.94) alongside a soda.

“Because the box is very expensive... I will buy them this way,” said the 24-year-old somewhat bashful Bronx resident as she left a bodega grocery store typical of New York.

As the avian flu pandemic rocking the United States has spread like wildfire, forcing poultry farmers to cull 26 million birds, prices have skyrocketed.

In the Big Apple, a box of 12 eggs reached an average price of US$8.47 (RM37.79) according to a note issued by the US Department of Agriculture yesterday. Prices are already higher than consumers are used to after years of inflation.

The idea of selling “singles,” a practice more commonly associated with cigarettes, came to bodega owner Radhames Rodriguez when customers began to complain that they could no longer afford his eggs.

“It’s too expensive. I’ve never seen the price like that on the eggs. I’ve been in business for almost 40 years,” said Rodriguez, owner of Pamela’s Green Deli, where loudspeakers were blaring Latin music.

Behind the counter were the usual inventory of cigarettes, candy, medicine – and now eggs.

‘People are crying’

“(It’s) the product that everybody uses to feed their family – especially in this neighbourhood, it’s low income,” added Rodriguez, who wore a hat emblazoned with the logo of the United Bodegas of America, of which he is president.

A quarter of people living in New York, the largest and richest US city, are below the poverty line, with the surging price of eggs – reaching US$15 (RM66.93) a dozen in some stores – hitting people hard.

Social media is rife with videos showing enterprising New Yorkers selling eggs on makeshift stands.

Last week, several businesses in Brooklyn gave away free cartons of eggs, one per person, leading to winding waiting lines.

“Egg prices are through the roof right now and so at a time like this, we felt it was our duty and responsibility to make eggs accessible,” said Abou Sow, the boss of Prince Abou’s Butchery, one of the businesses handing out the free boxes.

Prices have reached historic highs with the impact of bird flu compounded by the dependence of consumers and retailers on a single large-scale producer, according to a study by the NYC Food Policy Center at Hunter College.

Across the United States, egg prices have doubled in a year, according to official data, with Democrats calling for an inquiry.

The government insists it is in talks with several countries to secure imported eggs, and earlier this week, US President Donald Trump’s administration said it would invest up to US$1 billion (RM4.46 billion) to address the egg crisis.

Rodriguez said that the uptick in egg prices had been followed by cost spikes for other products, like avocados, which he now sells as wrapped plastic quarters.

“We’ve seen the price hike every other day,” he said. “The people are crying.” – AFP