McDonald's promises no surcharges on eggs
When will egg prices go down?
Egg prices soared to a record high amid an ongoing bird flu outbreak in the U.S. The average price of a dozen Grade A eggs reached $4.95 in January, surpassing the previous record of $4.82 set two years earlier and more than double the low of $2.04 in August 2023, citing the latest consumer price index. When will prices go down? Frances Stacy, Economic Strategist joined LiveNOW from FOX to discuss.
Amid rising egg prices in America, one fast food giant promised their eggs won’t be getting pricier.
McDonald’s promised it won’t start charging more for eggs in the U.S.
McDonald’s no egg surcharge
What they're saying:
McDonald’s made the promise Monday while announcing a new campaign called Breakfast Comes First celebrating 50 years of the franchise’s iconic Egg McMuffin sandwich.
"While many in the U.S. are talking about eggs, we've had something in the works for a while and the timing couldn't be better," McDonald’s North American Chief Impact Officer Michael Gonda wrote on LinkedIn.
"Important side note: unlike others making news recently, you definitely WON'T see McDonald's USA issuing surcharges on eggs, which are 100% cage-free and sourced in the U.S.," he added.
FILE - An Egg McMuffin photographed in Washington, DC. (Photo by Deb Lindsey/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
What's next:
Gonda said Egg McMuffin’s will cost only $1 this Sunday, March 2, if ordered via the McDonald’s app.
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Bird flu outbreak
Dig deeper:
The recent culling of millions of chickens per month amid a bird flu outbreak in the U.S. has caused egg prices to skyrocket.
The outbreak began in 2022 and has led to the killing of 160 million birds to help control the virus. Most of the birds killed were egg-laying chickens, causing the spike in egg prices.
According to the Associated Press, the federal government has spent almost $2 billion on the bird flu response, including close to $1.2 billion in payments to farmers to reimburse them for their lost birds.
What is the average cost of eggs?
By the numbers:
The recent consumer price index reported the average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 in January, surpassing the previous record of $4.82 from two years earlier and more than double the low of $2.04 that from August 2023.
This surge in egg prices was the largest since the last bird flu outbreak in the U.S. in 2015.
RELATED: CPI inflation report: Egg, gas and other prices that jumped in January
Are other restaurants adding surcharges for eggs?
Local perspective:
Waffle House earlier this month added a temporary surcharge of 50 cent per egg at its restaurants. Axios noted that smaller, local restaurants have also added a surcharge for eggs.
Denny’s announced this week it was also implementing a temporary surcharge to meals with eggs at some of its locations.
Meanwhile, multiple stores, including Trader Joe’s, Costco and Sam’s Club have also placed limits on the number of eggs customers can purchase at their stores.
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The Source: Information in this article was taken from a Feb. 25, 2025, LinkedIn post from McDonald’s North American Chief Impact Officer, Michael Gonda. Background information about egg prices and bird flu was taken from the January 2025 Consumer Price Index, The Associated press and previous FOX Television Station reportings from Daniel Miller. This story was reported from Detroit.