As inflation raised prices on all manner of goods throughout 2022, eggs earned special attention. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the average price of a dozen eggs in urban areas rose from $1.92 in January 2022 to $4.82 in January 2023. Supply and demand explain the increase, but you wouldn't know that if you listened only to progressives.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.) and former Clinton administration Labor Secretary Robert Reich both blamed "corporate greed" for the price hikes. The anti-corporate advocacy group Farm Action claimed "the real culprit" was "a collusive scheme among industry leaders" to "extract egregious profits reaching as high as 40 percent." Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.) and Rep. Katie Porter (D–Calif.) said the high prices "raise concerns about price gouging" by egg suppliers.
