The price of eggs was political in 2024.
The breakfast staple and baking building block often came into the conversation over the cost of groceries. Vice President-elect JD Vance provided an inadvertent chuckle for some when claiming a carton cost $4 — while standing in front of a display with the $2.99 price at a Pennsylvania grocery store.
Regardless of the campaign rhetoric, it was undeniable that egg prices were one way Americans were measuring economic impact. That dozen that might have cost as little as $1 a few years ago was on a pricing roller coaster since 2020. With eggs being one of the most affordable proteins, seeing the cost double or triple caused a real pinch for some.
Getting costs under control was a frequent theme for both parties in the presidential election, but many believed Trump would make it a reality. AP VoteCast reported 96% of voters were affected by prices of groceries and other products in making their presidential picks.
In December, Trump noted that lowering the price of groceries wasn’t that simple.
“It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up. You know, it’s very hard,” he said after being named Time’s “Person of the Year.”
He is right. It’s more than just making a decision to lower the price — because often the price was a reflection of bigger issues.
The Pennsylvania Farm Show is underway in Harrisburg, bringing together farmers, agriculture professionals and enthusiasts from across the state. Eggs are a part of that.
Pennsylvania is the fourth-largest poultry producing state. In August alone, the state’s chickens laid more than 700 million eggs. Billions are produced annually — in eggs and money.
But at the farm show, precautions are being taken to protect the industry because of bird flu. Avian influenza hits egg prices in a number of ways. Sick birds can be culled to slow or stop spread, meaning fewer chickens are available to lay eggs. In Pennsylvania, more than 4.7 million birds have been affected.
This doesn’t just increase prices on its own. It also can cause shortages, which prompt retailers to up the price, too.
Then there is a hoarding behavior that takes over when people see a shortage. Remember the desperate search for toilet paper during the pandemic? That creates further shortages, which means more price increases.
It would be great if the price of eggs were something one person could control with a swipe of a pen. But it’s something that has more to do with other agencies — the state and federal departments of agriculture, for example — doing their job with support, inspection, regulation and more.
And it’s a reason these things shouldn’t be allowed to become political.