Egg shortage worsens amid bird flu, consumers face high prices and purchase limits

With millions of chickens culled to prevent the spread of the disease, the supply chain disruption has led to dramatic price increases and even egg heists.

As the United States grapples with an unprecedented egg shortage, many restaurants and grocery stores have been forced to raise prices or limit the amount of eggs consumers can purchase at one time. The egg shortage crisis, exacerbated by the widespread avian influenza, has thrown the nation into a state of upheaval, impacting everything from store shelves to restaurant menus.

Waffle House has announced a temporary surcharge of 50 cents for each egg. The “continuing egg shortage” caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza “has caused a dramatic increase in egg prices,” Waffle House said in the statement. “Consumers and restaurants are being forced to make difficult decisions.”

It's the same story across the country with smaller restaurant chains and bakeries that use a lot of eggs forced to add an egg surcharge or increase prices.

Shoppers at many grocery stores, including Costco, Aldi, Giant and Trader Joe’s, are finding sparsely filled shelves and signs explaining price increases and limiting how many cartons of eggs they can buy at a time. Those lucky enough to find eggs to buy are paying significantly more for them.

Grocery stores and restaurants are now paying around $8 for a dozen Midwest large eggs, the industry standard, up from $3.33 a year ago, according to Expana, a firm that collects and tracks the price of eggs. At that price, each egg would cost about 65 cents. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said eggs went up nearly 70% in just a year from an average of $2.52 a dozen for large grade A eggs at the beginning of 2024 to $4.95 in January.

To add to the shortage, many consumers are stockpiling eggs, Saloni Vastani, an associate professor of marketing at Emory University, told USA TODAY.

High costs have led to at least two egg heists. In early February, thieves stole 100,000 organic eggs worth $40,000 from a distribution trailer in Pennsylvania, and more than 500 eggs were taken in the early morning hours from a cafe in Seattle.

Much of the recent spike in prices is due to the avian influenza caused by the H5N1 virus. When a farm has a confirmed case of the so-called bird flu virus, the whole flock needs to be killed to contain the spread. More than 45 million chickens — roughly 15 percent of the nation’s egg-laying population — have been killed in the past four months to prevent the spread of the disease, said Karyn Rispoli, the egg managing editor at Expana, which tracks the prices of eggs.

To date, the disease has infected or killed almost 160 million birds. However, the situation has gotten worse in the last few months with more than 30 million chickens killed recently to prevent the spread of disease. Experts say it could take months before the supply of egg-laying chickens stabilizes.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently ordered all live bird markets in New York City and surrounding counties to close temporarily in an attempt to keep the bird flu from spreading.

In Pennsylvania, egg thieves stole more than 100,000 organic eggs — street value $40,000 — from Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs, according to Agri-View, which publishes agriculture-related news. And USA Today reported that clear across the country in Seattle, a pair of thieves broke into a cafe in the middle of the night and took about 540 eggs along with other breakfast items valued at nearly $800.

While states such as New York and Georgia are taking measures to contain the virus, experts predict that it could take several more months before the egg-laying chicken population stabilizes. Until then, consumers and businesses will need to adapt to limited egg availability and higher prices, and with Easter fast approaching, it looks like there's no end in sight.

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