Eggs are more expensive than ever before, with some Americans spending more than a dollar an egg. These egg prices aren’t just a product of inflation, they’re also linked to an ongoing bird flu epidemic. But aside from the price of eggs, how does the H5N1 epidemic affect your breakfast? Is it safe to eat eggs during this epidemic? And aside from bird flu, is it healthy to eat eggs in the first place? Here’s everything you need to know.
What Is Bird Flu?
Bird flu, or avian influenza (H5N1), is a viral infection that spreads primarily in birds. Bird flu outbreaks can affect large numbers of birds and other animals, and in some cases can even spread to humans.
In cases where H5N1 spreads to humans, it can cause mild to severe respiratory symptoms and pink eye. People who work with dairy cows, poultry, and waterfowl are the most at risk, as infections spread from person to person are extremely rare.
The Current Bird Flu Epidemic
The current H5 bird flu outbreak began in March 2024. It has since affected over 166 million chickens, and 30 million birds were culled in the first two months of 2025 alone1. As a result, egg prices have more than doubled since the outbreak began, with an all-time average high of $4.95 per dozen. The USDA predicts that prices could soar more than 40 percent in 20252, and Business Insider argues that they may never settle back down to pre-flu numbers3.
While there was some talk of putting a stop to culling, government officials now say that the current “stamping out” policy will remain the recommended course of action4. This policy has been recommended by the World Organization for Animal Health to reduce both spread and animal suffering.
In the short term, importing eggs from countries like Turkey may help fill the egg-shaped void in American grocery stores. Longer-term proposed policy changes include the development of vaccinations for poultry, though there are concerns that this could impact exports, as we saw in France when authorities began vaccinating ducks for bird flu.
It’s Not Just Birds We Need to Worry About
Contrary to its common names of “bird flu” or “avian flu,” H5N1 can infect humans, with 70 reported cases of bird flu in people in the United States so far. The strain also exhibits what the Los Angeles Times has called “a troubling ability to jump to mammals5.”
In April 2024, farmers reported the first ever cases of bird flu in dairy cattle. Since then, 985 dairy herds have been infected, 754 of which are in California. In March 2025, scientists identified a genetic mutation in four dairy cow herds that makes the virus more transmissible — and more deadly. “It’s not a stretch to think it could help enable more human infections,” says Richard Webby, a virologist at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital6.
How to Eat Eggs Safely
So can you get bird flu from eggs? We know that people can contract bird flu by coming into contact with infected livestock, but consuming infected eggs doesn’t seem to impact human health. To date, there have been no proven cases of bird flu in humans linked to consuming contaminated eggs7.
Bird flu aside, the CDC nevertheless recommends cooking eggs to an internal temperature of 165˚F8. The agency says that this is the best way to kill off bacteria and viruses, including avian influenza A viruses.
That said, according to Dave Asprey, Author of Heavily Meditated, cooking eggs to this temperature “usually isn’t an issue if your eggs are high-quality and pasture-raised.”
And cooking eggs for too long can actually bring out other negative health effects. “Overcooking egg yolks will oxidize the cholesterol and fat in the yolks which can lead to inflammation,” says Asprey. “I personally only eat eggs with a runny yolk.”
Which Eggs Should You Eat?
As with many food products, not all eggs are created equal. While caged eggs are on the path to being eradicated from the American food system at the moment9, the differences between cage-free eggs, cage-free organic eggs, and truly pastured eggs can be huge. These differences aren’t just about the health and lifestyle of the animals, but also about the nutritional content of the eggs themselves.
For the very best, look for organic, Certified Humane eggs labeled “pasture-raised” or “free-range.”
According to researchers at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, truly pastured eggs are more flavorful — not to mention richer in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A and E10. For the very best, look for organic, Certified Humane eggs labeled “pasture-raised” or “free-range.”
Are Eggs Even Healthy?
Bird flu aside, eggs have long flip-flopped in the eyes of public opinion. We dutifully ate one a day; we ate three a day. We ate whole eggs or just the whites or none at all, replacing them with Egg Beaters or flax eggs. So what’s the truth — are eggs healthy, or do eggs cause high cholesterol? Nutrition science and the FDA have finally settled on a verdict: Eggs are good for you.
In the past, it was the link between eggs and cholesterol that stirred up controversy. But since 2024 research in Cureus found that dietary cholesterol doesn’t have a major effect on blood cholesterol levels11, all of the health benefits of eggs can now proudly shine. And there are a lot of them.
Essential Nutrients in Eggs
A 2023 research review in Nutrients found that eggs could increase muscle protein synthesis, lower fat mass, improve satiety, and had a null effect on the risk of cardiovascular disease. In fact, a 2025 analysis in Nutrients found that older adults who consumed between one and six eggs a week actually showed a 29 percent lower rate of death by heart disease12.
Eggs are rich in B vitamins, folate, and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. They are also one of the richest dietary sources of choline, a nutrient that impacts liver function, brain development, and metabolism.
Of course, not everyone will reap the same benefits of eating eggs. According to Asprey, widespread egg allergies can lead to low-grade inflammation in many people. “Test yourself to see if you feel better without eggs,” he suggests. Even if you do feel OK with eggs, he notes that it’s a good idea to “take a break every once in a while.”
“I wouldn’t overdo them,” he says, “because eating too many can cause an egg sensitivity in some people.”
If You’re Taking a Hiatus on Eggs
“It isn’t necessary to include eggs in your diet if you can’t find them or if they’re too expensive.”
Dave Asprey, Author of Heavily Meditated
These days, choosing top-quality eggs can be a particularly tall order. Asprey notes that if you’ve got the choice between a low-quality egg and no egg at all, it’s better to err on the side of caution. “It isn’t necessary to include eggs in your diet if you can’t find them or if they’re too expensive,” he says.
If you’re avoiding eggs or just looking for alternatives, you can replace egg whites with aquafaba and whole eggs with flax eggs in baking. And take extra care to include other sources of key nutrients that you might typically get from eggs in your diet. The choline and B vitamins found in eggs can also be found in grass-fed beef liver and wild-caught fish like salmon.
Finally, when you do get your hands on some top-quality eggs, treat them well. Try enjoying one or two gently poached on a bed of black beans or slowly baked in an heirloom tomato for a delicious meal that will showcase the egg at its very best.
Sources:
- https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html
- https://apnews.com/article/record-egg-prices-usda-bird-flu-virus-92e9f5fbc4e0a792be484a4aee5b9c16
- https://www.businessinsider.com/egg-prices-expensive-avian-bird-flu-changing-tastes-cage-free-2025-1
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bird-flu-us-officials-walk-back-plans-to-stop-culling-poultry/
- https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-04-14/nobody-saw-this-coming-california-dairies-scramble-to-guard-herds-against-bird-flu
- https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-03-12/study-shows-widespread-h5n1-bird-flu-infection-in-cattle
- https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/7-bird-flu-questions-answered.h00-159774867.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/prevention/food-safety.html
- https://www.compassioninfoodbusiness.com/latest-news/our-news/2025/01/us-ahead-of-canada-in-cage-free-egg-transition
- https://www.psu.edu/news/agricultural-sciences/story/research-shows-eggs-pastured-chickens-may-be-more-nutritious
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11161868/
- https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/2/323
