The nationwide egg shortage that has resulted in sticker shock for millions of shoppers at grocery stores is even more bizarre in New York City, where organic, cage-free cartons, typically more expensive, now cost less than a regular dozen in some stores.
At the Morton Williams grocery chain, a dozen white, regular eggs from an in-store brand were going for $9.99 this week, the New York Post reported. Meanwhile, a carton of Land O’Lakes brown eggs, which are produced “without hormones, steroids or antibiotics,” cost just $5.59.
The chain’s Midtown location had other organic and cage-free varieties selling for under $10, including $5.69 for a dozen of Eggland’s Best “vegetarian-fed hens” eggs.
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One reason for the strange pricing is that organic, free-range egg farms, which have also been hit by the avian flu, have been honoring lower-priced distribution contracts, according to Joe Viscomi, assistant director of operations for Morton Williams.
Many of those contracts are expected to expire in the coming weeks, meaning prices could soon skyrocket past $10 for a dozen, he said.
“The disparity of the cost of organic brown and cage-free eggs versus conventional eggs is closing fast,” Viscomi said.
The outbreak has resulted in the slaughter of millions of hens in an effort to curb the spread, resulting in higher egg prices.
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“I would not bet on a May recovery” as some experts have predicted, Matt Sutton-Vermeulen, principal in the agriculture and food practice at consulting firm Kearney told the newspaper.
Throughout New York, many bodegas have raised prices on eggs. Some NYC shoppers are looking for a deal. The Bryant Park Whole Foods in Midtown is selling a dozen premium eggs for $4.69 this week, the Post reported.
Some businesses are taking other steps to offset the price increases.
The Waffle House, a Southern breakfast food chain, began a temporary 50-cent-per-egg surcharge to all of its menus Monday.
The company blamed the ongoing egg shortage caused by bird flu, saying, “consumers and restaurants are being forced to make difficult decisions.”
It plans to monitor egg prices and “will adjust or remove the surcharge as market conditions allow.”
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