The price of Easter is nearing a historic high as inflation and supply chain issues send the cost of holiday staples such as eggs and chocolate soaring.
The average cost of a dozen eggs is about $2.99, according to data from the Federal Reserve obtained by USA Today. While this figure is lower than the whopping average of $4.82 that consumers were paying last year, the price is creeping back up — partially due to the bird flu.
Outbreaks of bird flu, or avian flu, have a direct correlation with the rise and fall of egg prices. Consumers faced the brunt of record-high inflation under the Biden administration in 2022, but the price of eggs was still noticeably impacted by a January 2023 flu strain, KIRO7 reported.
A more recent outbreak that began in November “caused prices to go up in the months after,” the outlet said.
Outbreaks that continued through December affected 11.4 million birds, the Associated Press reported of U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
Other factors include the rising costs of chicken feed, the weather, remnants of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, and even the Russia-Ukraine War, KIRO7 stated.
The cost of more festive eggs is going up too. The Courier-Journal documented the rising prices of Easter candy such as Cadbury Creme Eggs, Kinder Joy Eggs, Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs, and several others.
“Changing weather has threatened cocoa tree health and production” in West African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast — from where the vast majority of the global cocoa supply originates.
Recent high amounts of rainfall damaged the cocoa trees, and impending dry temperatures and winds coming from this year’s El Niño will make for even harsher conditions for cocoa farmers.
Cacao fruits, from which the raw material for cocoa is extracted, hang on a tree in a farm in Sao Felix do Xingu, Para state, northern Brazil. (YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty)
