Good morning and welcome to our mandatory California newsletter. the Sunday. I’m your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:

My Kingdom for a dozen or more eggs

Long lines of local groceries and warehouse stores listen to the early days of iPhone releases.

But this time it’s not smartphones or technology, it’s causing the latest panic purchases nationwide.

It’s an egg, and suddenly it’s a rare item.

If you’ve recently tried to buy eggs, you could run into a significant wait, hoarding, buying restrictions, or an empty corridor.

There is confusion as to why eggs are so expensive and difficult to find in California, but my colleague Caroline Petroukohen tried to provide some answers.

She recorded that the average price of a dozen eggs has It’s almost doubled since last year According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the record high in January was $4.95. In California, prices are even heavier. There, grocery stores charge over $12.

Spike has contributed to an overall rise in grocery prices, up half last month, according to the Labor Bureau’s Consumer Price Index report released last month.

Some grocery chains, including Trader Joe and Kroger, have set limits on the amount of eggs shoppers can buy to address the shortage.

Why are eggs so expensive?

The main factor behind the egg price jump was the avian flu outbreak, which caused the deaths of more than 21 million chickens, including 13 million in December alone.

Eight states, including California, have confirmed outbreaks of avian flu.

“This virus is historically unprecedented,” said Sanjei Sharma, adjunct professor of finance and business economics at USC’s Marshall School of Business. “The reason for the lack of eggs is very clear. The birds are taking this flu and must be culled as soon as possible.”

What’s the situation in California?

Prices rise as eggs become scarce and suppliers struggle to keep up with demand.

The cost of a dozen eggs has risen 15% over the past four weeks, with prices increasing on the West Coast.

Prices for California eggs are particularly high. Because the state is primarily dependent on egg production, and is declining due to the outbreak of influenza. 40% of the eggs consumed in California are produced in the state, Sharma said.

How long does rarity last?

Retailwire CEO Dominick Miserandino said that if chicken populations are replenished and eggs are produced at normal speeds, egg prices could return to normal. How long it takes depends on the disease and the progression of the peasant’s surgery.

“Now there’s no end I can see,” Miserandino said. “There’s been some degree of market panic and overreaction, which makes things worse.”

Sharma said it can take months to raise a new flock of chickens and the bird flu could spread among them. “If the next pack is also infected, you need a real, systematic solution,” he said. “I don’t think it’s there.”

What can you do to save money?

There’s no need to store eggs, experts said. Most grocery stores that have an egg restriction limit their shoppers to two dozen per trip.

Sharma said he heard of a shopper buying as many as 500 eggs from Costco on a single trip. He suspects they are reselling them to restaurants and bakeries at lower prices than other suppliers.

“The price of eggs is the highest ever, and people are very nervous,” Miserandino said. “The simple advice is not to panic and not to investigate.”

Are there other groceries that you can see similar spikes?

Labor Bureau data shows that several grocery items have become more expensive since last year, including beef, milk and fresh chicken. Price production could skyrocket if President Trump successfully implements sudden tariffs in Mexico, Canada and China.

Trump campaigned on a promise to lower grocery prices after frequently denounced President Biden for inflation and high daily costs.

For more information on the rise in egg prices, please see the entire article.

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Have a great weekend from the Essential California team

Andrew J. Campa, reporter
Carlos Rozano, news editor

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