America’s Grocery Retailer Egg Scarcity in Photographs

February 12, 2025

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Even if you happen to’re not the kind of one who eats two eggs for breakfast each single day, you’ve doubtless seen 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 because of worsening outbreaks of avian influenza, or hen flu, which have killed thousands and thousands of birds. There are additionally considerations concerning 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 vulnerable to avian flu than chickens raised for meat for a wide range of components. They’re older, and spend for much longer on the farm than chickens raised for meat, that are normally 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 doubtless that egg costs will stay excessive for the foreseeable future. It’s additionally attainable that the shortages might worsen within the coming weeks if outbreaks proceed, and the state of affairs is already fairly bleak.

Over the weekend, I headed to 3 completely 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 at the moment experiencing excessive demand and provider shortages for eggs,” learn the signal at Goal. “We’re actively searching for further provide.” Others retailers, together with Costco and Complete Meals, are limiting the variety of cartons that prospects should purchase.

Heading out to their very own grocery shops, my colleagues at Eater noticed equally empty cabinets, buy limits, and plenty of apologetic signage. Right here’s what the egg state of affairs seems 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.

Cartons of eggs on a shelf with prices listed fo $13.49 and $11.99.

Sparse and completely empty egg cabinets

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