In the past few weeks, there has been an egg shortage in America. Grocery stores and consumers have felt the impact of the shortage; egg prices have skyrocketed and stores are left without eggs to sell. This shortage occurred after a widespread bird flu that killed many chickens and disrupted egg production.
“This latest epidemic has resulted in more than 168 million birds dying since 2022. This has greatly reduced the number of laying hens and other poultry in our country, resulting in shortages and increased prices in some products,” explained human geography teacher Mr. Haupert.
These shortages and increased prices affect many aspects of daily life.
“The restaurant industry may see small breakfast diners unable to afford the higher prices or unable to source enough eggs to meet local demand. The owners of those establishments would have to balance raising their prices at the risk of losing some customers, or do nothing and risk going out of business because they cannot afford the increased cost of eggs,” Mr. Haupert continued.
Not only are restaurants affected, but other businesses are too.
Junior Jackson Gunning detailed, “As someone who works the register at Shaws, I have heard numerous complaints on how empty the egg shelves have gotten. It seems every time I work, there’s always at least a couple of people complaining about the egg shortage.”
These local businesses aren’t immune from the effects of the egg shortage and come face-to-face with the issue by raising prices and limiting availability.
“The average price for a dozen eggs from a conventional farm is close to $5, it used to be closer to $3,” Mr. Haupert said. “If you want specialty eggs like organic, cage free, or free range it is even more expensive because farmers can charge more for those types of specialty products.”
“While Shaws hasn’t limited the amount you can buy for eggs, Shaws has been forced to raise the prices to suit the demand,” Gunning stated. “Since it’s a necessity for most people, people have to pay the increased prices.”
