With the bird flu decimating flocks of egg-laying chickens across the country, grocers are responding to the shortages in eggs by implementing purchase limits.
Among the top grocery chains introducing purchase restrictions in at least some of their stores are Trader Joe’s, Costco, Kroger, and several regional chains.
A Trader Joe’s spokesperson shared more on the decision with Axios, noting that the chain is implementing a “one dozen per customer, per day” policy in all of its 600 locations across the country.
“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 spokesperson added.
As for the other top chains, Costco confirmed on its website that it was implementing a purchase limit, as social media posts show Americans flocking to the store to purchase large amounts of eggs.
“Attention: Due to supply challenges caused by the highly pathogenic avian influenza, shell eggs and egg products may be short or cut from delivery orders without notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause,” Costco wrote in its notice.
The West Coast grocer Sprouts confirmed with ABC News that it was also limiting egg purchases, while Kroger confirmed the same with CNN.
Egg prices have been rising along with cases of avian influenza. Going back to last year, the current strain of bird flu, H5N1, has accounted for the deaths of more than 40 million egg-laying birds and more than 150 million poultry birds altogether.
Because of the outbreak, egg prices rose 14% from November to December, and the United States Department of Agriculture is expecting prices to rise another 20% this year.
As for December, the average price for a dozen large grade-A eggs is $4.15, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Social media posts have shown that prices rose last month as well, with some posts showing prices as high as $12 in some states.