Lincoln-area bakeries feel the effect of skyrocketing egg prices

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Nidia Suleiman owns Jerusalen Bakery in Lincoln, and like many small business owners across the United States, she’s feeling the ripple-effect of rising egg prices.

“And then it started going up, and going up and going up,” she said.

The latest reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show egg prices are up 53% from last year, thanks to an increasing number of poultry flocks impacted by bird flu.

More than 150 million birds have been infected, wiping out entire flocks and forcing retailers like Trader Joe’s to limit consumer purchases, according to ABC News.

Data provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate there are 70 confirmed cases of bird flu in people nationwide, as well as one death in Louisiana.

SEE ALSO: Bird flu detected in backyard flock in Saunders County, officials say

Suleiman is originally from Guatemala but came to Nebraska with her family from Los Angeles in the 1990s in search of better opportunities.

That opportunity came in the form of a cake — a tres leches, or “three-milk” cake, Suleiman’s specialty.

She opened her first bakery in the early 2000s and moved to Jerusalen’s current location at the corner of 48th Street and Saint Paul Avenue in 2018.

SEE ALSO: Bird flu reported in two backyard poultry flocks in Nebraska, officials say

Suleiman is a fourth-generation baker, and her signature cake needs a lot of those high-priced eggs.

“Especially because tres leches is basically eggs,” she said. “It’s like a sponge cake, and it has a lot of eggs in it.”

Suleiman said she’s now paying double what she was last year for eggs.

SEE ALSO: Lincoln pet food store urging caution over recent bird flu outbreak

Her recipes are passed down and traditional, which means there’s no cutting back or changing the ingredients.

“No,” she laughed. “That would be something impossible.”

Suleiman hasn’t raised prices yet, but if it keeps going, she may not have a choice.

“I’m hoping that it goes down again, but it seems like it’s going a different way,” she said.

SEE ALSO: Customers flock to Nebraska egg farm as bird flu drives prices higher