"Even though it's always a problem..."
The price of eggs continues to rise.
Wholesale prices are the highest since 1993 and nearly double the average price in February last year.
(As of the 16th of this month)
How much is it now?
What is the background?
how long will it last?
I have collected such questions.
M size 10 pieces
On the 15th, I visited a supermarket in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, to research the sales of eggs.
On this day, the retail price of the M size 10 pack sold at the egg corner was 338 yen (excluding tax).
According to the store, the price has increased by about 50 yen compared to December last year, and the number of M size sales is about half of what it normally is.
We reached out to shoppers to hear their impact.
A woman in her 40s with two children,
"Eggs are used a lot in places where you can't see them, such as deep-fried foods, in addition to the main ingredients, so it's a problem if you don't have them all the time. I can't replace them with other ingredients, so I don't leave them at home." I try to buy in bulk on special sale days.”
Should I wait until it warms up?
Super Izumi President Gomi
"This is the first time that the price has been so high, and there is no special sale, so sales are about half of what they normally are. We have no choice but to wait until the weather warms up, the bird flu subsides, and shipments return."
14.78 million birds culled, record high
Egg prices have risen like never before.
One of the reasons for this is the rapid increase in the killing of chickens due to bird flu.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the total number of chickens and other animals that have been disposed of this season since October last year when bird flu began to rage is about 14.78 million.
This is a record high, far surpassing the approximately 9.87 million birds recorded in the fall 2020 to spring 2021 season.
Avian flu Heavy mental burden on those who deal with it
Wholesale price highest in 30 years
According to the major sales company "JA Zennoh Egg", the price per kilogram of M size eggs in the Tokyo area, which is used as a guideline for the wholesale price of eggs, was 335 yen on the 16th.
This is the highest since 1993 when the statistics were published, nearly double the average price of 175 yen last February, and 55 yen higher than the average price last month.
It is believed that the price of corn, which is the food for chickens, is soaring due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the depreciation of the yen.
I can't help but use eggs
The impact is severe for restaurants that use eggs.
We visited a Western confectionery shop in Ota Ward, Tokyo.
At this time of year, we purchase about 80 kilograms of raw eggs a week from suppliers for ingredients such as cakes.
The price of eggs was about 250 yen per kilogram until around the fall of last year, but it started to rise around December last year, and as of the 14th, it was 364 yen, which was more than 100 yen.
The store had just raised the prices of some products by 5 to 30 yen due to the rise in prices of wheat and oil around last fall, but due to the soaring price of eggs, we are considering further price increases. It means that there is
Mr. Reiji Morishita, owner of a Western confectionery shop,
"I can't help but use eggs, so I have no choice but to buy at the price I'm told. Customers are still refraining from buying cakes, so I don't want to raise prices, but the cost of ingredients has gone up. We have no choice but to raise our prices.”
In addition, there are moves to suspend the sale of products using eggs at restaurants and convenience stores, and this has also led to higher food prices.
Skylark HD to suspend sales of some menu items using eggs
Kewpie Mayonnaise to raise prices from April
Seven-Eleven Suspend or review some products that use eggs
There are no eggs... Will menus disappear from university cafeterias?
Vigilance of bird flu until next month
Avian influenza is thought to be brought in by migratory birds overwintering in Japan, and usually occurs from autumn to spring.
This season, after being confirmed in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture and Atsuma Town, Hokkaido in October last year, at the earliest time so far, outbreaks have occurred one after another at an unprecedented pace.
In addition, it has been confirmed in six prefectures, including Yamagata and Okinawa, where no outbreaks have occurred so far, and the risk of outbreaks anywhere in the country is increasing.
The spread of bird flu continues to require vigilance until next month.
While a large number of chickens are being slaughtered, it seems that it will take a certain amount of time to raise chickens from chicks and restore the egg supply system, and future price trends are uncertain.