Ode to Eggs

Since I love eggs for breakfast and they’ve been in the news quite a lot lately, I decided to write my first post for entreVIEW about them! They’re simple, quick and high in protein. While I wasn’t always so fond of eggs, somewhere in my adult life I began eating eggs for breakfast almost every day—preferably scrambled or over-medium with a dash of hot sauce.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the lack of eggs in grocery and convenience stores over the past couple of months. As we near the month of April, which is one of the highest demand months of the year for eggs (given the Easter Bunny’s mutual appreciation for the item), I’m expecting to see fewer eggs in stock and higher prices for a dozen eggs. One expert predicts that egg prices may soar as high as $10/dozen! Might that be enough to change my morning breakfast ritual? Probably not. Assuming I can find them, I’d prefer to reduce my spending in other ways than change my breakfast routine.

Adam Smith would no doubt be intrigued by this modern-day example of supply and demand and its illustration of elastic versus inelastic demand. His economic theory, which has often been part of the thesis for a new entrepreneurial enterprise, is that as supply decreases, prices increase. If the demand is elastic, consumers buy less as prices increase. If demand is inelastic, consumers continue to purchase, causing a shortage. The demand for eggs is generally considered inelastic and unresponsive to price changes, which makes sense because eggs are an essential ingredient in so many items that we eat such as breakfast, breads, and baked goods. Because of its inelastic nature, egg shelves likely won’t be full any time soon and prices will likely continue to be increased.

As of January 2025, the US is down 10 million egg laying hens and is producing 22 million dozen less table eggs per month than December 2024. That’s a significant reduction of hens and eggs. Replacing egg laying hens won’t be a quick fix. Only about 1% of eggs produced will hatch baby chicks to become egg laying hens. At this rate, it will likely be at least 9-12 months before new egg-laying hens will be grown and capable of producing at that volume. You may not hear about the replenishment of the egg-laying hens, but you’ll likely see it through lower prices and full egg shelves in your local stores. I will be keeping a watchful eye.