Customers in Louisiana and nationwide are dealing with egg prices going up and sparsely populated aisles at the grocery store following the spread of the bird flu in the U.S.

The price of a dozen eggs could soon surpass the record set in December 2023, an expert from the University of Iowa predicted. The average price of eggs could reach $5 by midyear.

Eggs are nearly 40% more expensive now than they were a year ago, the Labor Department said this week. It's about to get even worse, one expert says.

Egg prices are up 36.8% from last year, while food prices rose just 2.5%, the latest consumer price index (CPI) shows. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average cost of a dozen Grade A large eggs was $4.