Wholesale egg prices move every single day. If you have bought eggs for a restaurant, bakery, or grocery store for any length of time, you already know this. A case that costs one price on Monday might cost something different by Thursday. That is not your distributor playing games. That is the market.
The industry benchmark for wholesale egg pricing is the Expana (formerly Urner Barry) price sheet, published daily since 1858. Every serious egg distributor in the country watches it. We update our own pricing daily based on where the Expana market lands, and we pass that transparency on to our customers.
If you want to understand why your egg invoice looks different from week to week, these are the factors at play:
Avian influenza is the single biggest driver of price spikes. When bird flu hits commercial flocks, millions of laying hens can be lost in a matter of weeks. Supply drops, prices jump. This has happened repeatedly over the past decade and remains a constant risk in the market.
Seasonal demand pushes prices up around Easter, Passover, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Retailers stock up, bakeries ramp production, and the increased demand pulls wholesale prices higher. If you buy eggs in volume, you have probably noticed the pattern.
Feed costs matter because hens eat corn and soy. When grain markets move, egg production costs move with them. Feed is the largest single input cost in egg production, so even small shifts in commodity grain prices eventually show up in your egg invoice.
Cage-free mandates in states like New Jersey and New York are adding cost to the system as farms invest in new housing to comply. The cage-free premium over conventional has been narrowing, but it is still a meaningful factor in overall market pricing.
We track the Expana market every morning and update our pricing accordingly. When you call us for a quote, you are getting a number that reflects that day’s market, not last week’s. That is why we do not publish prices on our website. Any number we posted would be stale within 24 hours, and we would rather give you an accurate quote than a misleading one.
For high-volume buyers, we offer contract pricing that can lock in rates for agreed periods when the market is favorable. If you are moving real volume and want pricing stability, that conversation is worth having.
You cannot control the egg market, but you can manage around it. Request updated pricing regularly rather than assuming last month’s price still applies. Build some flexibility into your menu pricing so a spike does not eat your margins. Diversify your sizes, because when Jumbos are expensive, Larges or Mediums might be a better value. And work with a supplier who tells you what is happening in the market and why, not just a number on an invoice.
We have been watching the egg market since 1908. We have seen every kind of swing, every kind of disruption, and we have helped hundreds of Tri-State businesses navigate all of it. If you want a supplier who gives you context along with your quote, give us a call.
Shell eggs trade on a daily commodity market. Every morning, the Expana (formerly Urner Barry) price sheet publishes updated wholesale prices based on supply, demand, and market conditions. Your distributor's pricing follows that benchmark.
Expana (formerly Urner Barry) is an independent market reporting service founded in 1858. They publish daily wholesale prices for eggs, poultry, and other proteins. Most wholesale egg transactions in the United States reference Expana pricing as the benchmark.
Because any price we published would be wrong within 24 hours. The wholesale egg market moves daily, sometimes significantly. We provide same-day quotes so you always know exactly what you are paying.
Call us at (201) 609-9986 or email marvin@eastcoasteggfarmers.com. We will send you current pricing the same day, usually within a few hours.
Call us at (201) 609-9986 or email marvin@eastcoasteggfarmers.com. We will send you a same-day quote with current market pricing and a delivery schedule for your area.