January 12, 2015
US egg consumption reaches 30-year record
Egg consumption in the United States continued its upward trend in 2014 despite higher retail prices, reaching a 30-year record.
The United States Department of Agriculture reported that per-capita egg consumption grew to 260.7 last year, which is the highest in 30 years, and marks the fifth consecutive year that egg consumption has increased.
According to Nielsen, retail egg category sales grew by 11% in 2014 to US$5.5 billion.
The average price for a dozen eggs averaged $2.11 in 2014, up 17 cents from the previous year. Against higher retail prices, which normally reduce consumer demand, unit volume increased. In fact, the growth rate for egg sales in both dollars and units were double that of 2013, said Joanne Ivy, American Egg Board (AEB) president.
AEB's award-winning marketing efforts, including their 'Wake up to Eggs' advertising, public relations, social media and retail promotional efforts, played an important role in increasing egg consumption, according to Ivy.