What is egg inflation, and how is it affecting Latin America?

Eggs’ prices have risen considerably due to the avian flu outbreaks in the United States; however, the so-called “egg inflation” has also affected Latin American countries.

In Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and Costa Rica, the price of eggs has risen considerably, and the food is even in short supply in some areas.

The avian flu outbreak, which has affected more than 155 million birds in the United States alone, has made the product more expensive and even opened the door to illegal trade in the foodstuff.

The data and economics journalist Manuel Avendaño explained in his Twitter account that in Costa Rica alone the food became 22% more expensive in December 2022, and the reason is that the country is an exporter of the product and supplies the United States and Canada, so locally the food increases in price.

According to Bloomberg, the same happens in Honduras and Guatemala, where food production has become more expensive.

In the case of Mexico, the Unión Nacional de Avicultores (UNA) and the Grupo de Consultores de Mercados Agrícolas (GCMA) have pointed out that the animal feed price has shot up due to speculation that avian flu may affect its production.

This, say the Mexican organizations, has also increased smuggling of the feed, as the United States restricted the import of raw eggs from Mexico due to the risk of disease entry.

The New York Times reported that between November 1 and January 17, US Customs and Border Protection agents made more than 2,000 arrests of people attempting to smuggle eggs into the United States from Mexico.

Customs and Border Protection said in a press release, quoted by the US media, that the threat of avian influenza underscores the importance of laws prohibiting people from crossing the border with agricultural products.

With information from Sputnik