The egg shortage is an ongoing food crisis ravaging America, leaving long-lasting scars on many facets of the country, including agriculture, disease control, and everyday life. Since 2022, stocks of eggs have plummeted, and correspondingly, their prices have skyrocketed, rising 53% in just a year. Several essential grocery stores, such as Trader Joe’s, Walmart, and Costco, have even placed restrictions on the amount of eggs customers can purchase. To understand the cause of such a deficit, we must investigate the source of the eggs themselves: the egg-laying hens.
The bird flu, a disease that lay dormant until the dawn of 2022, is the culprit behind the prevailing crisis. The disease was first identified in domestic waterfowl in the Guangdong Province of China in 1996 and is thought to originate from wild migratory birds. It is caused by an infection of avian flu type A viruses and can be contracted by birds, humans, and other animals. The bird flu has culminated in the deaths of over 150 million feathered creatures, considerably cutting down the population of hens and therefore, eggs.
Clearly, the severity of the bird flu must not be underestimated if it results in such drastic ramifications. Indeed, the H5N1 strain of the virus has given rise to the largest outbreak in recent history, and farmers have been forced to institute several biosecurity measures. Besides the indiscriminate culling of any poultry that has contracted the disease, farmers have increased the level of health protection for both their winged companions and themselves. Many have installed truck washes to disinfect their vehicles, implemented regulations requiring workers to shower and change clothes before entering a barn, and financed the purchase of duplicate tools to further their commitment to ending the epidemic. Some especially conscientious farmers have even installed lasers that shoot green light in random patterns in an effort to prevent wildfowl from descending onto their property.
The bird flu and resulting egg shortage are not isolated incidents—they reveal the broader weakness of the entire food supply chain. The US has become too reliant on a small number of large corporations for their produce, and this dependency is what allows a single disease outbreak to drive prices so high. As such, some Americans have turned to chicken farming in their own backyards, attempting to take control of their own poultry supply. Ultimately, the crisis of egg paucity emphasizes the importance of managing the spread of disease and highlights the issues with the modern food supply chain.