The Bird Flu is Affecting Nationwide Egg Supply

If your recent grocery store trips have felt like an egg hunt minus the fun, you’re not alone. Empty shelves, rising prices, and limits on egg purchases have left many shoppers frustrated. But what’s behind the shortage?

The Bird Flu

An ongoing Bird Flu outbreak has devastated egg farms across the U.S. The current Bird Flu is a disease caused by avian influenza A (H5N1). The virus spreads quickly among flocks, and when a flock falls infected, farms are forced to cull infected birds to stop the virus from spreading. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in just the past month, over 23 million birds have been affected. December wasn’t much better, with an additional 18 million birds lost. Most of these were egg-laying hens, leading to this drastic drop in egg supply.

Soaring Prices

With fewer hens producing eggs, costs of the supply available are skyrocketing. In January, the average price for a dozen Grade A eggs reached $4.95, breaking the previous record of $4.82 set two years ago. For comparison, eggs were just $2.04 as recently as August 2023. Now this  is just a national average, and doesn’t describe the price of different brands, types of eggs, and specific retailers. Some customers are reporting egg carton prices of $10 or more. And according to the USDA, prices could increase another 20% before the end of the year.

High Demand

The shortage of eggs is causing an even higher and more urgent demand for the household staple. To manage supply, some retailers, like Trader Joe’s, are limiting customers to one carton per visit. In Pennsylvania, thieves went as far as stealing $40,000 worth of eggs from a delivery truck!

What’s Next

Experts are working to contain the outbreak and stabilize supply. It’s also important to note that Bird Flu typically spreads between birds, not people, so the public health risk remains low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Vineet Dubey of CD Law is hopeful that within 4-6 months “We’ll have healthy chickens again, eggs that are safe to eat, and prices are going to come down to regular levels”.

Click HERE to visit our Instagram page for more from Vineet on the ongoing egg shortage.