Food - Drink
How Colorado's Cage-Free Egg Law Could Impact Prices
By MEGGAN ROBINSON
There are many factors affecting the prices of eggs at the moment, from inflation to avian flu, and as of December 2022, Colorado has passed a legislation requiring that all the eggs sold in the state come from cage-free chickens. While certainly an important win for animal welfare, the law will likely make egg prices rise even higher.
The legislation has an incremental deadline of January 1st, 2023, and Vox predicts an egg price increase as high as 30%, since farmers must now invest in new chicken enclosures. A general manager of the Ohio-based farm told Agri-Pulse estimates that it will take 10 years to make back the money they invest in following new procedures.
Colorado won't be the last state to require stores to sell cage-free eggs, and Rhode Island, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Michigan, Arizona, and Utah have also set dates to implement similar requirements. While the upward trend in egg prices likely won’t last forever, American consumers should remain prepared to pay a bit more.