# Cage-Free Large White Falls to 28 Cents, Now Below Conventional _May 26, 2026_ > National cage-free large white loose fell to 28 cents/doz this week, now trading below the 32.9-cent conventional benchmark. APHIS has logged no HPAI detections in 60 days and national inventory is near its four-week average. USDA's national large white cage-free loose fell to **28.0 cents a dozen** this week, down nearly half from 55.0 cents a week ago, and now trades **4.9 cents below the conventional benchmark** at 32.9 cents. The cage-free "premium" has inverted to -15%, making cage-free the cheaper option at the national wholesale level. APHIS reports no HPAI layer detections in the past 60 days, the supply context that underpins a broad price retreat across every national size class. [Chart: National brown extra large shell egg price (loose, ¢/dozen)](https://the-scramble.com/national/extra-large-brown) ([data](https://the-scramble.com/national/extra-large-brown.md) — chart image: https://the-scramble.com/charts/national/extra-large-brown/chart.png) - **Extra large white conventional loose** (national, USDA): **26.9 cents/doz**, down 53.8% on the week from 58.3 cents. - **Extra large white cage-free loose** (national, USDA): **31.0 cents/doz**, down 48.3% on the week from 60.0 cents. - **Nest run tier 1 white conventional loose** (national, USDA): **15.0 cents/doz**, down 89.5% on the week from 144 cents. - **Midwest large white, paid to producers FOB** (USDA): **36.0 cents/doz**, down 14.3% on the week from 42.0 cents. - **South Central extra large white, delivered warehouse** (USDA): **70.8 cents/doz**, down 10.2% on the week from 78.8 cents. USDA reports national shell egg inventory at 1,507 thousand cases as of May 25, running 0.4% above the trailing four-week average. South Central conventional inventory is 283 thousand cases, 24% above its five-year median and up 11% on the week. Northwest conventional inventory is the exception at 48.4 thousand cases, 23% below its five-year median, the one regional pocket signaling tightness. APHIS has confirmed no HPAI detections in commercial egg-layer flocks in the past 60 days, a quiet supply picture on the disease side. Retail feature context: USDA tracked 214 stores featuring national large white 12-count at $1.40 the week of May 25. *Data note: 56 series, concentrated in California market data, have not updated in over two weeks. California cage-free and other California-market figures should be treated as stale.* --- Canonical URL: https://the-scramble.com/issues/2026-05-26