USDA: eggs buck rising food prices
The USDA's latest outlook finds nearly every grocery category rising this year — except eggs, which are stable or slightly cheaper even as Americans buy more of them. That keeps eggs as one of the most cost-effective protein options through this spring. (finance.yahoo.com)
USDA Economic Research Service’s February 2026 Food Price Outlook projects overall food prices to rise 3.1% in 2026 and food‑at‑home prices to rise 2.5%, and the report specifically identifies eggs as the lone food‑at‑home category showing a large price decrease in the January data. (ers.usda.gov) The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI data showed egg prices fell about 7% from December to January and were reported as down roughly 34.2% year‑over‑year in January 2026, according to coverage of the CPI release. (cnbc.com) ERS records show farm‑level egg prices rose 31.6% in 2025 as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cut production and boosted prices, creating the extreme price volatility that underlies the current downward correction. (ers.usda.gov) USDA and industry projections have pointed to a production rebound for 2026—earlier ERS outlooks revised 2026 table‑egg output to about 7.95 billion dozen—but the ERS Poultry & Eggs market updates in March 2026 also cautioned that production expectations were lowered in some quarters because of continued HPAI losses. (ers.usda.gov 1) (ers.usda.gov 2) ERS projects per‑capita egg availability at roughly 23 dozen per person in 2026 (about 276 eggs), a figure that reflects both the expected production recovery and continued consumer demand for eggs as an affordable protein. (ers.usda.gov) Weekly USDA Agricultural Marketing Service market reports in mid‑March 2026 described the national shell‑egg market as mostly steady with mixed regional price movements and noted seasonal Easter/Passover demand lifting some wholesale categories. (ams.usda.gov) Average retail measures compiled from BLS data show the January 2026 average retail price per dozen near $2.58, putting retail egg prices well below their March 2025 peak but still above typical pre‑2024 levels. (keepingupwithinflation.com)
