In the past two months, the public has seen a rapid increase in egg prices, with San Francisco experiencing a rapid change in price. The most significant cause is the bird flu outbreak.
The avian influenza virus, also known as bird flu, has been spreading globally, affecting the stock of eggs, farms, and chicken populations. It only takes one contact with contaminated surfaces for chickens in the same environment to become infected and sick.
“Systems where chickens are raised and killed are dirty and muddy, it’s not a surprise it [bird flu] spreads so fast,” said Jack Reardon, chemistry teacher at Archbishop Riordan High School.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the spread of the virus resulted in the loss of millions egg-laying hens in this short amount of time.
“It impacts the industry and chickens’ lives in general. The chickens who are more resistant to it are going to survive. It is natural artificial selection,” said Reardon.
Local clubs and grocery stores are affected by avian influenza. Egg prices doubled with a supply shortage. Riordan’s very own Cooking Club is experiencing hardship, making it difficult to plan their fundraising food menu, which includes noodles with egg ingredients.
“It’s made our ingredients cost much more. [With the] expected cost of eggs going up substantially, and a lot of our dishes do have egg components in them. Due to bird flu, there has been a gradual progression in the increase of prices because of the regular inflation,” said Brian Davis, Business teacher and moderator of the Cooking Club.
According to CBS News, the average price of a dozen eggs has gone up 14 percent since November 2024. This has created difficulty for local businesses and bakeries, where eggs are a crucial food item.
“Prices are so high because of the scarcity of egg supply,” added Davis.
The desperation was evident to San Francisco resident Rhonda Hontalas who was shopping at Costco with her husband and turned around to find that someone had swiped the eggs right out of her basket.
She described the incident as, “Trying times, both scary and sad. It’s supply and demand, similar to toilet paper in 2020.”
The bird flu issue is surprisingly well known among the student body. Some said it did not affect their household, while others said they used egg alternatives or egg whites because of the health scare. Students and the community should be aware of recent changes to prevent the virus spreading so they can be conscious of the consequences.
Patrick Cistaro ’26, a member of the Business Club gave an insightful look on how the community can educate themselves on this problem, sharing that he is, “researching immensely about the inflation which affects egg prices and teaching myself more about economic change due to bird flu, and how the price of eggs has affected businesses tremendously.”
