A new federal report says that the avian flu outbreak has driven the price of eggs in California to a whopping $9 a dozen. We hit the local Safeway and found that yes, in SF, eggs really can cost that much right now.

We’ve seen inflation in recent years, but this is really something else. According to a new report in today’s Chronicle, the price of eggs has jumped 70% in just the last month. The reason of course is the avian influenza (aka bird flu) outbreak, which is indeed devastating for the nation’s poultry farmers, and is causing these egg shortages. But it’s devastating to grocery shoppers’ wallets too, as a new report from the US Department of Agriculture points out that the retail price of eggs in California is currently running at $8.97 a dozen.

For real, $9 a dozen? SFis went to the local Safeway, and sure enough, even a bottom-shelf carton of Lucerne eggs is going for $8.99 a dozen.

And shit, the organic eggs at Safeway cost $12.99 a dozen.

There were some eggs priced at $7.99 a dozen, but good luck finding those.

And no surprise, there are restrictions on how many cartons of eggs you can buy, at Safeway at least.

Eggs prices can of course vary, and eggs are probably not $9 a dozen at every grocery store in town. Plus San Francisco tends to be on the high end when it comes to California grocery prices.  And maybe you can find some local Petaluma eggs for cheaper. But as of December 31, 2024 at a Safeway in San Francisco, the price of eggs is consistent with the $9 a dozen reported by the Department of Agriculture.

These prices are likely to drop after the holidays, as demand for eggs is high this time of year. But how much those prices will drop is still an open question.

Agriculture industry experts say it might take four to six months for the egg supply to get back to normal. And consumers are likely to continue seeing high egg prices for much of 2025.

So for grocery shoppers, the price of eggs will continue to be a pain in the ass for the foreseeable future. But for poultry farmers, this is absolutely devastating. As the Chronicle points out, 1.7 million birds in Merced County had died from bird flu as of December 5, and in Stanislaus County, 1.1 million birds had died by December 24.

Related: Child In Alameda County Tests Positive for Bird Flu [SFist]

Image: Joe Kukura, SFist