Expect higher prices for omelettes, pastries, and condiments because the domestic egg supply will likely be sc🌺rambled until next year.

The U.S. is losing egg-laying hens to bird flu at a rate not seen in a decade, according to Brian Moscogiuri, vice president of Eggs Unlimited, a wholesaler based in California. Replacing these birds is becoming a harder, longer ꦕprocess, and flocks are unlikely to return to their previous size until 2026, he said.

With egg supply constrained, cartons will likely remain costly for a while, ushering in surcharges at restaurants, and potentially, higher prices for everything from ice cream to salad dressing, said K♚aryn Rispoli, ﷽managing editor of the egg division at market intelligence firm Expana.

“We've lost a tremendous amount of production," said Rispoli. "It has created intense competition in the wholesale market, which has driven prices to these historic levels.” 

Nationwide, stores charged an average of $4.15 in December for a dozen large, grade-A eggs, up 65% from a year earlier and 132% from the pre-influenza days of December 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Breeders Struggle To Meet Demand for Chicks

Farmers who detect the virus cull their entire flock, sanitize the facility, and then seek approval to bring in new birds, experts said. They’re starting to face longer wait times fo💖r new birds because so many farmers have had to start over since the flu broke out in 2022,🐎 Rispoli said.

“The breeders just don’t have the availability to handle the amount of farms that need to repopulate," said Rispoli. "I've had producers tell me that if they were to order baby chicks today they’re looking at at least a year wait in some cases.”

The shortage has made stocking eggs more challenging and expensive for supermarkets. Many national, large chains still sell eggs as a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:loss leader, but smaller supermarkets can't always afford🍬 to hold down prices, experts said.

Purchase Limits and Surcharges

Wholesalers in the New York area charged an average of $7.63 for a dozen, large eggs as of late January, according to the Department of Agriculture. Stew Leonard’s, which runs supermarkets in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, now sells a carton of extra-large eggs for an average of $8.99, nearly double its price from August. But the grocer also has a carton of organic eggs available for $4.99, spokeswoman Meghan Bell said.

Some supermarkets are ending egg promotions and limiting how many packages customers can buy, the USDA said. Sam’s Club has capped egg purchases since December, instructing customers to pick up no more than two of each egg product per trip, 🌟said spo🏅kesman Steven Zapata.

“Stew Leonard’s does not limit the number of eggs customers can buy,” Bell said. “If customers start to panic-buy, they might consider enacting a limit.” 

Rising wholesale prices are putting pressure on restaurants, bakeries, and food manufacturers. Waffle House instituted a $0.50 surcharge per egg on Monday🐟. The breakfast chain said it couldn’t 💎predict how long the fee would be necessary.

Imported Eggs Unlikely To Offset U.S. Shortfall

Most eggs sold at stores and used in commercial kitchens are sourced domestically, experts said. But manufacturers that use liquid or powder “egg parts”—a common ingredient 🅺in ice cream, pasta, mayonnaise, salad dressing, and sauces—will sometimes buy from processors who bring in supply from abroad, they said.

Despite regulatory and logistical hurdles, producers have had some success importing eggs from Turkey, Mexico, and Brazil, Rispoli said. But there may not be much excess supply abroad because other regions are also contending with bird flu. “There’s really not a whole lot of slam-dunk surplus out there that the U.S. processors could take advantage of,” Moscogiuri said.