The United States is facing a major egg shortage, with a store in Pennsylvania reporting the theft of 100,000 eggs worth $40,000. The theft took place on February 1 at Pete and Gerry's Organics in Greencastle, and police are investigating.
This comes as egg prices have suddenly risen due to a bird flu outbreak (avian flu), making eggs much more expensive. The Waffle House chain recently raised its egg prices, calling it a "temporary surcharge" due to the rise in costs.
According to U.S. government data, egg prices have gone up by more than 65% in the past year. The agriculture department expects prices to increase by another 20% in 2025.
The avian flu has been present in the US since 2022, but the largest outbreak started last October and continues to impact millions of hens, according to The Guardian. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that nearly 14.7 million egg-laying chickens have been affected by bird flu since January, surpassing the total number of hens impacted in 2023.
Karyn Rispoli, MD of eggs at the price-tracking firm Expana, explained, "Given the number of birds we've lost in recent months and the hen population, there simply isn't enough production to meet the demand we have."
"We're facing a shortage right now," Rispoli said. Reports show that people are stocking up on eggs, just like they did during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the bird flu outbreak in October, shoppers have been buying eggs as soon as they can. Many people have shared online that they found empty shelves when they went to buy eggs over the weekend, according to USA Today.
Read: Why bird flu is the biggest emerging health concern of 2025