Bird flu outbreak has Californians paying higher prices for eggs, and consumers scramble to find cartons of eggs as supply chains are disrupted and some store shelves are empty. Sometimes.
In California, the average price for 12 large eggs rose significantly in December from $5.68 in late November to $8.97, and has remained at that price through the beginning of the year, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
Some stores, including a Ralphs in El Segundo, have posted signs explaining that recent egg shortages are due to the “cost of sourcing cage-free eggs,” which goes into effect in 2022 and requires chickens to This is the result of California’s Proposition 12, which requires the breeding of animals. locked in a cage.
However, the most recent and biggest fluctuation in the market has been due to avian influenza.
Some restaurants have already started raising prices to reflect the soaring price of eggs.
Lindsey Stevens, restaurant manager at Boss Hog’s Country Kitchen in Farmersville, Calif., told KFSN-TV in Fresno that rising costs are forcing restaurants to lower the price of the cheapest eggs to avoid passing costs on to customers. He said he was forced to look into it.
But Bon Temps Creole, a restaurant in San Luis Obispo on the Central Coast, has raised the price of a $15 menu that includes two eggs to $17, KSBY reported.
A sustained and large-scale outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has devastated California’s poultry flocks and, as a result, hit the egg supply chain, according to the Department of Agriculture’s latest egg report.
Avian influenza viruses are spread by direct bird-to-bird contact. It can also be spread through contaminated surfaces and materials such as manure, egg coops, crates, clothing, and hands.
Bill Matos, president of the California Poultry Federation, told the Ventura County Star that once the virus is detected, flocks are euthanized and it can take several months for a farm’s flock to repopulate.
This outbreak has hit egg farmers hard since it began in February 2022.
Last month, the Department of Agriculture reported nine confirmed cases of avian influenza at large and small operations in Merced, Stanislaus, Riverside and San Joaquin counties.
The losses were even more painful for consumers at supermarket checkouts as demand for eggs for meals and baked goods increased during the holiday season.
According to the Department of Agriculture, the disease most affected flocks at large egg farms from October to January, with the hardest hit occurring in December.
In the past 30 days, the outbreak has affected 10.16 million birds across the United States, according to the Department of Agriculture. But the number of infected birds is a tiny fraction of the more than 378.5 million laying hens in the United States, according to data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Still, for farmers, California is the worst-hit state, with the USDA reporting one new case of bird flu in Stanislaus County, affecting 75,200 birds. This year continues to have a difficult start.
Experts say bird flu detection rates are higher in the fall and spring, as wild birds spread the virus to hens that migrate to their nests each season.
This means consumers can expect egg prices and availability to continue to fluctuate, the American Farm Federation said.
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