An egg shortage affects availability nationwide!
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A serious egg shortage affects egg stock at many small grocers, including LifeSource Natural Foods.
‘Our larger egg distributors are either in very short supply or have no stock on hand. Smaller distributors are in short supply, and our local farms can only produce so much….’
…what is happening with egg farming, and why did this shortage happen so suddenly?
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Why is there an egg shortage?
There are several factors contributing to the 2024 egg shortages:
1.) Avian Influenza:The spread of “bird flu” is not new and periodically affects egg supplies across the nation. At times it can spread vastly and quickly which is what is happening now. While the USDA and FDA do not believe that eggs pose any threat to human health from avian influenza, outbreaks can have dramatic effects on egg supplies. California, Colorado, Washington and other states have had recent outbreaks, which causes supply to drop and demand to rise. The demand for eggs causes chain stores, independent grocers, restaurants etc.. to look to other sources to meet that demand.
2.) Ballot Measures: The state of California passed ballot measures in 2018 for higher standards in animal welfare. This includes that only cage free eggs may be sold in state. In Oregon in 2019 a similar ballot measure was passed; this includes any egg producers with at least 3000 egg laying hens.
This is a small step to better animal welfare but does increase demand for conventional grocery stores to carry and sell cage-free eggs in greater numbers.
3.) Increasing Demand For Eggs: Eggs sales and demand have only continued to increase. This has helped smaller farms to increase their sales but has also put a strain on their ability to meet increasing demand due to increasing feed prices, staffing, space, and laws and regulations that come into play when farms increase in stock and size.
What does this mean for LifeSource Natural Foods?
We may be low in stock at times, out of stock at times, and have a changing rotation of what is available to us that meets our values. We may have one line of eggs one week and not the following week. This can be confusing not only to customers, but to team members as well.
LifeSource will continue to work with our egg suppliers so we can still offer a selection of eggs, but we are likely to face occasional, noticeable shortages.
Thank you for patience as we do our best to keep eggs available!
– LifeSource Natural Foods
What can I make without using eggs?
Here are links to recipes that don’t require eggs:
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