America’s Grocery Retailer Egg Scarcity in Images

February 12, 2025

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Even when you’re not the kind of one who eats two eggs for breakfast each single day, you’ve probably observed that the egg state of affairs on this nation is just a little bit bizarre proper now. Cabinets are empty, costs are excessive, and that’s all due to worsening outbreaks of avian influenza, or hen flu, which have killed tens of millions of birds. There are additionally considerations in regards to the virus, also called the H5N1 virus, spreading to different animals, like cows, and people.

Because of this, egg costs are excessive. Egg-laying chickens are extra inclined to avian flu than chickens raised for meat for a wide range of elements. They’re older, and spend for much longer on the farm than chickens raised for meat, that are often slaughtered inside a matter of weeks. And whereas officers are intervening, ordering farms and markets to shut and totally disinfect to cease the outbreaks, it’s probably that egg costs will stay excessive for the foreseeable future. It’s additionally doable that the shortages may worsen within the coming weeks if outbreaks proceed, and the state of affairs is already fairly bleak.

Over the weekend, I headed to 3 totally different grocery shops in my neighborhood within the Dallas suburbs — Dealer Joe’s, Goal, and Kroger — and the egg cabinets at every had been fairly naked. Each retailer additionally had its personal model of an indication telling prospects that the retailer was struggling to supply eggs. “We’re presently experiencing excessive demand and provider shortages for eggs,” learn the signal at Goal. “We’re actively in search of further provide.” Others retailers, together with Costco and Entire Meals, are limiting the variety of cartons that prospects can buy.

Heading out to their very own grocery shops, my colleagues at Eater noticed equally empty cabinets, buy limits, and many apologetic signage. Right here’s what the egg state of affairs appears like at grocery shops in cities throughout the nation.

Sky excessive egg costs

Eggs had been greater than $1 every at H Mart within the Los Angeles space.

Kat Thompson

Sparse and completely empty egg cabinets

That grocery shops are discovering it troublesome to maintain eggs stocked has been obvious at shops together with Entire Meals, Safeway, and Dealer Joe’s. A Dealer Joe’s in San Diego even used its empty egg cabinets to inventory different merchandise.