Eggs down, deviled eggs up

Egg prices have fallen sharply enough this spring that a once-pricey party dish is showing up on tables again: deviled eggs. In March 2026, grocery prices for eggs were down nearly 45% from a year earlier. (bls.gov) The Bureau of Labor Statistics said food-at-home prices rose 1.9% over the 12 months ending in March, while the food-at-home index fell 0.2% from February. In the same March report, the eggs index fell 3.4% for the month. (bls.gov) The average U.S. city price for a dozen Grade A large eggs was $2.348 in March 2026, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data published through the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. That is a price-level snapshot, not the inflation measure economists use for year-over-year comparisons. (fred.stlouisfed.org) The drop follows a winter that was less damaging for egg farms than the one a year earlier, when avian flu pushed prices higher. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on March 17 that 2026 table egg production expectations were lowered by recent highly pathogenic avian influenza losses, but egg price forecasts were also lowered from the prior month because of recent price trends. (ers.usda.gov) Cheaper eggs do not mean cheaper groceries across the board. Tomatoes were up 22% from a year earlier in March, and Marketplace reported economists tying part of that increase to a 17% tariff on tomatoes imported from Mexico as well as labor, energy and freight costs. (marketplace.org) That split helps explain why shoppers can feel relief in one aisle and strain in another. Grocery Dive reported that meat, produce and coffee kept rising even as overall grocery inflation cooled, leaving a mixed picture inside the same cart. (grocerydive.com) Spring entertaining is part of the timing. The National Retail Federation said on March 24 that Easter spending is expected to reach a record $24.9 billion in 2026, a sign that households are still planning holiday meals and gatherings despite broader economic uncertainty. (nrf.com) A separate 2026 survey cited in recent deviled-egg coverage found 28% of consumers expect to host more at-home gatherings this year, and 31% said one reason is that hosting costs less than going out. That makes a make-ahead dish built from a lower-cost carton of eggs easier to justify for potlucks and holiday spreads. (fooddrinklife.com) The result is not a full grocery reprieve so much as a small menu adjustment. Eggs are back in bargain territory for now, and that has been enough to put deviled eggs back on spring tables. (bls.gov)