Consumers have been feeling the strain on their wallets since egg prices skyrocketed in mid January.
Bird flu led to the death of more than 20 million chickens contributing to the high prices, according to the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Luckily, the United States Department of Agriculture says the average cost has begun to gradually fall. However, many people have yet to notice a difference at their local grocery store.
While many people scramble to find an alternative to eggs, many small businesses don’t have the same luxury.
Local restaurant owner Fortino Rojas opened Fortis cafe in 2001. More than half the menu consists of egg dishes. He’s yet to see a difference in price. In fact, the egg bill has gone up.
“In 2018 I used to buy the case of the eggs for $7.99, and then they raised for $9.99, which was perfect, no problem,” Rojas said,” but nowadays the case is $180 so it's a huge difference.”
There have been previous outbreaks of bird flu, but these did not have as much of an impact according to the USDA. Rojas said he doesn’t want to change his prices but is almost at his wits end.
“I was mad inside me. I can't believe that. I can't believe this is so expensive. Sometimes, honestly, I have not enough money to pay the bills. So it hurts,” he said.
Not only are eggs expensive, but some stores limit the amount you can buy. Due to the limited supply, he has to turn down special orders or charge his customers an additional fee.
“A girl, she ordered the veggie skillet with egg whites. And I told her, you know, you have to pay for extra egg, and for this dish, I had to use between six to eight eggs. And each egg is gonna cost you $3,” he said.
Alana Saporiti opened Flour Bakery in mid January just as prices began to soar.
“Bad time to buy a bakery. We are keeping the same prices that the business here before had, though our groceries are more expensive,” she said.
Saporiti sources her ingredients from several stores. She said she had to do a lot of research not only to find the cheapest supplies, but also where to find eggs.
“So most of the ingredients we source, I get at Costco on Plumb, but they don't have eggs there, so I'll get flour and sugar and things like [that]. Since they don’t have eggs, I go to the Carson City Costco, and they usually, if I go early in the morning, they'll have a case,” she said.
She has noticed that prices have gone up since she opened, even after the suspension of the cage-free law.
“About a month ago, they were $17 - $17.95 and now they're $20. So the case has gone up like three bucks, which already was, I feel inflated to begin with,” she said.
Saporiti isn’t too worried about the future of her bakery and said she will adjust her prices if she has to, but doesn’t plan on it.
Rojas worries if another outbreak like this happens again, he may have to close down.
“Some or a lot of small businesses, we might probably shut down the doors. I hope not. I hope the price is at least still like this. But I don't think so. Looks like they're going to be more expensive,” he said.
Currently, the average cost for a dozen eggs in Nevada is $6.07. Which is 68% more expensive compared to last year. The USDA says they expect to see a continued decrease in egg costs. But for now, Saporiti and Rojas wait patiently to see this drop.
