Egg prices aren't stopping families from dyeing eggs, an Easter tradition
Egg prices remain costly ahead of the Easter holiday. But that isn't stopping families from dyeing eggs this year, continuing an Easter tradition.
"I still want to do it, more so for the children," said New York resident Gwendolyn Sanders, who has a 4-year-old daughter. "It's something I had when I was smaller, so I'm not going to let that kind of a price diminish a tradition."
PAAS, the company best known for their egg dye kits, told CBS News that the company has shipped 20% more egg decorating kits this year compared to last year, due to high demand and a longer selling season. Easter last year was on March 31, compared to April 20 this year.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average cost of a dozen large, Grade A eggs was $6.23 in March — a record high that is up from an average of $2.99 in March last year and $3.45 in March 2023.
Sanders told CBS News that as eggs costs "skyrocketed" over the last year or so, she saw prices as high as $20 for a dozen eggs in New York City — calling it "ridiculous."
The cost of eggs nationwide jumped more than 15% from December to January, prompting some retailers to place limitations on purchases. The surge in egg prices was largely due to the devastating impact of bird flu, which killed more than 40 million egg-laying birds last year.
More recently, though, in early April, a USDA report said egg supplies are on the rise, which could be a bright point for consumers still dealing with inflation.
"The supply situation at grocery outlets has greatly improved in recent weeks and consumers are once again seeing fully stocked shelves and enjoying a range of choices without purchase restrictions," the USDA report said.
Still, some families may be limiting how many eggs they color. While Sanders planned on dyeing Easter eggs, she said this Easter her family would be scaling back, keeping it to half a dozen.
Joe Ens, the CEO of Signature Brands, which owns PAAS, told CBS News that 94% of customers still planned to dye eggs this year due to the sentimental value of Easter holiday traditions. That data is based on a survey conducted in January for PAAS by Suzy Consumer Research.
According to the study, 78% of customers planned on dyeing fewer eggs due to their cost.
"While not ideal, it's going to cost a little bit more, it's still only about 40 cents per egg, so people realize it's still one of the more affordable things you can do with your kids," Ens told CBS News in late March.
Even so, some might be looking at alternatives. Tabitha Blue, founder of Fresh Mommy Blog, and Toni Okamoto, from Plant Based on a Budget, shared videos on social media promoting creative low-cost options such as dyeing marshmallows and potatoes.
Blue said that this year, her family colored marshmallows with food coloring instead of eggs, and that her kids loved it.
"Cost definitely played a part in looking for alternatives this year — and the marshmallows ended up being such a fun (and surprisingly adorable!) option that my kids actually might have liked even more than eggs!" she said in a message to CBS News.
Blue, whose account has nearly 40,000 followers on TikTok, said the response to a video she posted about the marshmallow option "has been incredible." The video went viral on TikTok, with 1.6 million views and over 45,000 likes.
"I've heard from so many moms — especially those with kids who have egg allergies — saying they'd never thought about this before and were excited to try it," she said.
Okamoto, who has a following of 30,000 on TikTok, tried dyeing potatoes.
"With food prices and the economy being such a concern for so many people, I wanted to share an alternative that was fun, affordable, and accessible," she told CBS News in a statement.
"A 10-pound bag of potatoes can be found at Walmart for around $5, which makes it a great option for families — especially when you compare that to the high cost of eggs," she added.
Okamoto told CBS News that dyeing potatoes has a funny practical upside: "A forgotten potato in the backyard won't stink up the place as badly as an egg would!"
She said her community had a lot of fun with the alternative method, and that it sparked great conversation.
"It's a playful way to celebrate without breaking the bank, and I think more people are open to trying new (and less costly) traditions like this one," she said.
