Orlando residents Daniel Bryson and Victoria Cummins now eat only on special occasions, as egg costs compete for grocery budgets.
“I don’t want to cut eggs out of my meal, but the last egg pack I bought was…it looked like $9,” Cummins said. “There might have been some cheap eggs, but I was trying to prioritize what we put in our bodies.
Online fitness influencer Bryson said food preparation is a big part of his everyday life. Eggs were once a staple of morning meal planning, but were slowly phased out.
“If you don’t have a Costco card now, you’re mostly screwed,” he said. “It’s too expensive.”
According to the Consumer Price Index, U.S. egg prices hit a record high in January, selling at an average price of $4.95, rising from a previous $4.82 record two years ago.
And Central Florida residents are feeling in a pinch, with some looking for alternatives and crossing eggs from their shopping lists.
The bird flu epidemic is primarily responsible, killing millions of chickens, leading to shortages and rising prices. More than 20 million egg-selling chickens died in the US in the last quarter of 2024, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
Egg prices often exceed national averages in central Florida stores, especially for “cage-free,” “free range,” or organic eggs. At the fresh market on Mills Avenue, where Bryson and Cummings were shopping recently Wednesday, the cheapest egg was $5.99.
On the Publix store, the 12-count Publix brand’s large Grade A egg priced at $6.54. At the Aldi store in Orlando, we told customers they could purchase two 12 egg cartons at a time.
College Park Cafe, an Orlando breakfast and lunch spot, told customers at the end of January that “all dishes, including eggs, will include an extra $1 in the near future.”
A Facebook post from the restaurant said, “As we navigate this unique challenge, be patient! We’ll raise this extra as soon as possible.”
But amidst the turmoil of egg prices, some companies are finding opportunities.
Matias Suarez, co-founder of egg-focused pop-up restaurant Gigdose, said that while winning eggs isn’t an issue, prices are definitely rising.
The business focuses on growing its customer base. They hope to soon open a permanent location in Orlando’s village of Ivan Hoe. That’s why we haven’t raised prices.
“Of course you want to make money and profits, but for now, our minds are focused on growth,” he said.
Wagner Kroling, owner of fresh eggs at Princess Flock Farm in Kissimmee, said his business has been dodging the effects of the flu up to date.
“As far as my network is concerned, local farmers are not affected by the avian flu,” said Crawling, who produces around 1,000 eggs each week for his chickens and more eggs a day during peak industrial seasons.
In fact, the effects of the flu on many large national egg producers in the Midwest have made the farm an attractive option for local customers, he said.
Krohling charges $10 per dozen for his eggs, but customers say they appreciate his fresh farm products, his chickens can roam freely around their property and usually buy eggs on the day of pickup.
The business began in 2020 with his 2.5-acre property, Crawling said. Due to high demand, he plans to double production by 2023 and doubling again by 2027.
Savvy egg consumers are also making the most of their current challenges.
Celebration resident Tracy Trowsdale said the crowd princess egg is one of the best she’s had since moving from the UK to the US over 13 years ago.
“Farm eggs are very easy to use in the UK and not here,” she said. “His eggs are a heavenly gift as we go down the route of something more organic and see what we are eating.”
Trowsdale said he got a bunch of egg trays in his house every two weeks and found Krohling’s prices “very reasonable” given the current egg market and the quality he offers.
Winter Park resident Tina Taylor and her partner believe that owning her own chicken is the answer to the price of a feather-disturbed egg.
“In Winter Park, we are allowed to have two chickens, so we have two chickens,” she said. “I’m not kidding.”
Original issue: March 12, 2025, 11:12am EDT
