Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Food prices are going up, period. The best clue: “It’s the eggs, stupid!”

April’s Basic Food Index (BFI) for American Samoa has experienced an increase of 4.0% from March of this year with the most notable rise in the price of eggs, which surged by 49.5%. The cost of eggs, previously $4.83, has now escalated to $7.22 a dozen.

This comes after a bird flu epidemic hit the mainland and over 168 million birds have died or been culled in the United States over the past three years. The majority of these were egg-laying hens. A significant number of chickens were killed specifically in the last quarter of 2024 alone, with a USDA report noting that over 20 million egg-laying chickens died in the U.S

Other food commodities that have experienced price increases include Chicken (1.0%) $19.98 for a 10 kg case, Fresh Fish (4.6%) $5.19, Rice (1.5%) 5 lbs. $5.35, Pork Spareribs (1.0%) $1.98 lb., Sausage (2.3%) $2.18, Bananas (10.9%) $1.53 lb., Ice Cream (0.6%) 2 ltr. $9.58, Bread (2.3%) $3.58, Turkey Tail (1.0%) $2.08 lb., Sugar (1.9%) 2 kg. $3.75, Corned Beef (0.9%) $5.57, and Mayonnaise (1.0%) $4.92.

Despite the overall increase in the BFI, several items have seen a decrease in price, including Soft Drinks (-2.7%) $1.09, Taro (-7.4%) $2.12, Fresh Milk (-2.0%) $2.51, and Butter (-0.4%) $4.77.

Prices for water, saimin, and tuna have remained stable throughout the month of April.

The Basic Food Index is a monthly rapid assessment of basic food items, to monitor the cost and availability of these 20 food products throughout the community. The BFI is not to be confused with the Quarterly Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is a comprehensive standard measure of inflation and the cost of living in American Samoa.

A major upgrade to the survey coverage was implemented at the beginning of 2022, when 7 additional stores were included in the data collection process, extending coverage from Se'etaga in the West to Amouli in the East. In total, 14 major to mid-size retail stores have been selected for the monitoring of basic food costs.