Avian flu in NC: Is it safe to eat chicken and eggs? Will prices rise? Answers here.
A highly contagious strain of the avian influenza has impacted personal and commercial flocks of poultry across the country, including in North Carolina.
Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) show that cases of the disease, known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), have been confirmed in commercial chicken and turkey flocks in Wayne and Johnston counties since late March, affecting hundreds of thousands of birds.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says strains of avian flu, including HPAI, “do not normally infect people,” the disease could have an impact on humans economically, as prices of poultry meat and eggs could be on the rise. And you may still have questions about whether it’s safe to eat those things.
To help you understand how this strain of avian flu could affect you, your wallet and your health, we consulted information from the USDA, the CDC and other sources.
Here’s what to know.
How will avian flu affect price of chicken and turkey?
Chicken and meat prices are already higher due to widespread inflation, but there are signs that the avian influenza could make them rise even more.
▪ The USDA’s National Retail Report on chicken, which is published weekly, shows that for the week of April 1-7, a regular pack of chicken breast averaged $3.93 per pound nationwide. That was up from $3.14 per pound the previous week, and up from $2.48 per pound at this time last year.
▪ In the weekly report, the USDA said prices for both white and dark meat chicken were on the rise, but frozen items remained “readily available,” as did deli-style chicken meat.
Where turkey meat is concerned, the USDA’s National Retail Report for April 1-7 showed that many turkey meat cuts and varieties were harder to find, possibly pointing to lower supply.
▪ The price of fresh bone-in turkey remained the same as the previous week, at $2.99 per pound.
▪ The price of most ground turkey products decreased nationwide, except for ground turkey patties, which increased from $3.96 per pound last week to $4.55 per pound this week. Ground turkey breast meat also increased in price to $5.80 per pound this week, up from $5.64 per pound last week.
▪ The report said frozen bone-in turkey breasts were “more difficult to find” this week, as were “dark part offerings.”
Overall, the extent to which the avian flu will affect poultry and egg prices depends on how widespread the infection becomes, NPR reported.
How will avian flu affect the price of eggs?
You might have already noticed egg prices going up during your recent trips to the grocery store. Egg prices are on the rise, and they’re expected to continue that trend as Easter (Sunday, April 17) approaches.
▪ Egg prices are currently about 52% higher than they were in early February, when the first case of avian influenza was reported in Indiana, McClatchy News previously reported.
▪ According to the same McClatchy News report, the nationwide average price of one-dozen eggs is now $2.88.
▪ In addition to the avian flu, egg prices could also be impacted by increased demand ahead of Easter and Passover, McClatchy News reported. The USDA said in its monthly Livestock Dairy and Poultry Outlook report for March that prices would likely rise “in anticipation” of the holidays.
Is it safe to eat chicken and eggs with avian flu on the rise?
The USDA says you cannot get avian influenza from chicken meat, eggs or other poultry products — as long as they are properly handled, prepared and cooked to eat.
To properly handle and prepare poultry products, the USDA says you should:
▪ Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw poultry and eggs.
▪ Prevent cross-contamination by keeping raw poultry and eggs away from other foods, including in your refrigerator.
▪ After cutting raw meat, wash your cutting board, knife and countertops with hot, soapy water.
▪ Sanitize your cutting boards by using a solution of 1 tablespoon chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water.
▪ Use a food thermometer to ensure poultry has reached the safe internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit to kill foodborne germs that might be present, including the avian influenza viruses.
The USDA says that due to safeguards the agency has in place, the “chance of infected poultry or eggs entering the food chain is extremely low.”
Are humans at risk of catching avian flu?
The CDC says avian flu viruses “do not normally infect people,” and no human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza, the strain currently affecting poultry flocks in North Carolina, “have ever been detected or reported in the United States.”
▪ Just four human infections of a less contagious avian flu strain, known as low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI), have ever been reported in the U.S.
▪ The CDC describes the current risk to humans as “low,” and says the detection of HPAI among poultry flocks does not change the general public’s health risk.
This story was originally published April 8, 2022 at 9:10 AM with the headline "Avian flu in NC: Is it safe to eat chicken and eggs? Will prices rise? Answers here.."
