Retailers Limiting Egg Purchases! Prices Keep Climbing

Major retailers across the country have begun limiting the number of cartons of eggs shoppers can buy, as prices continue to climb amid a decimated chicken supply. At Trader Joe’s, customers can only buy one or two dozen a day. The limit is in effect at all locations. “We hope these limits will help to ensure that as many of our customers who need eggs are able to purchase them when they visit Trader Joe’s,” the company said in a statement. A spokesperson added, “The rule could be lifted when there are no issues on the supply.” The problem has gotten worse in recent months. From November to December, the number of birds infected increased by more than 11 million, and by nearly 5 million from December to January, according to USDA data. Additionally, the average price of a dozen large, grade A eggs was $4.95 last month, up from $2.52 the year before, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Experts have said it is hard to predict how long it will take for the spread of the disease to be contained. “I don’t think the stores view it is in their interest for them to have empty shelves. They’d like to have eggs on the shelves when people show up,” said David Anderson, a professor of livestock and food product marketing at Texas A&M University. The alternative would be to make the prices of eggs even higher to keep them on the shelves, he said. John Cranfield, interim dean of the University of Guelph’s agricultural college, added that empty shelves could lead customers to shop with competitors. Cranfield said how long the limits last depends on the farmers’ capacity to supply eggs, which is limited. Farmers have had to euthanize chickens, clean and sanitize barns to get rid of the virus and then bring in a fresh supply of birds, he said. “That can be anywhere from between two months to four months, depending on the circumstances,” he said.

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Source: NPR