Americans may find it hard to get eggs this holiday season because of bird flu outbreaks and the economy.
There has been a shortage of eggs in some stores across the nation, CBS News reported on Friday, noting the businesses in states that require eggs from cage-free hens have been affected by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
“More than 40% of the nation’s roughly 300 million egg-laying hens are raised in cage-free facilities, but roughly 60% of ‘bird flu’ cases recently detected involved cage-free farms,” the report continued. There have been outbreaks recently in Utah, Oregon, California, and Washington, per Emily Metz, who is the chief executive and president of the American Egg Board.
She added that the reports of shortages are coming from grocery stores such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Meanwhile, shortages related to the virus have caused egg prices to rise, and experts predict the cost may remain high into 2025.
In April, America’s largest producer of fresh eggs temporarily stopped production at a Texas plant because of bird flu in its chickens, Breitbart News reported.
“Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. — which is based in Ridgeland, Mississippi — said in a statement that an estimated 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 pullets were destroyed after being infected with avian influenza at the facility in Parmer County, Texas,” the article said.
It is important to note that the cost of eggs rose 147 percent since President Joe Biden (D) and Vice President Kamala Harris (D) took office, Breitbart News reported in August:
This is an economic reality Americans have continued to grapple with over the course of the Biden-Harris administration, despite the fact that the White House remains in complete denial. In fact, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed in June that grocery prices went down under Biden’s leadership. That, of course, is categorically untrue, as Americans are facing the worst food inflation in nearly half a century.
In October, now Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) said, “Look at the prices here. Things are way too expensive, and they’re way too expensive because of Kamala Harris’ policies.”
“Eggs, when Kamala Harris took office, were short of $1.50 a dozen. Now, a dozen eggs will cost you around $4, thanks to Kamala Harris’ inflationary policies,” he added.
