(NEXSTAR) — Eggs have been hard to come by for some consumers, with empty shelves spotted in some stores dating back to late last year.
At the time, Trader Joe’s joked the egg shortage was prompted by chickens being on strike. Now, the retailer is working to restock its shelves by limiting how many cartons its customers can buy.
“Due to ongoing issues with the supply of eggs, we are currently limiting egg purchases to one dozen per customer, per day, in all Trader Joe’s stores across the country,” Trader Joe’s spokesperson Nakia Rohde told Nexstar’s KOIN last week. “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.”
More retailers are following suit.
Costco customers are now limited to three packages of eggs, the warehouse retailer has confirmed. A spokesperson for Sam’s Club confirmed a limit of two packages per customer while noting the company is working to continue to meet egg demands.
Walmart customers will see a two-carton limit on 60-count cartons only, a spokesperson confirmed to Nexstar. At some Sprouts stores, customers have reported seeing limits of four dozen eggs per visit.
There have been regionally-restricted limits for other companies.
Some Kroger stores have been imposing egg limits of two packages per customer per trip for weeks. It’s not a company-wide move, though, a spokesperson told CNN. The company did not immediately respond to Nexstar’s request for comment but the sign below was seen at a Wisconsin store in mid-January.
Egg limits have only been imposed at Target’s Hawaii stores as of early February.
Signs were seen at Whole Foods locations in New York, limiting eggs to three cartons per person. The company did not immediately respond to Nexstar’s request for comment regarding an egg limit.
It isn’t just retailers feeling the pinch of a limited egg supply. Last week, Waffle House announced it would be adding a surcharge on every egg ordered.
Egg prices have been soaring, with the average price per dozen in the U.S. hitting $4.15 in December. That’s up nearly 37% over December 2023, the latest Consumer Price Index from the Labor Department shows.
The lack of available eggs, and thereby the rising costs of a carton, are being fueled by the ongoing avian flu outbreak. Farmers are being forced to slaughter millions of chickens a month, the Associated Press reports. The virus doesn’t seem to be easing either, and with no effective vaccine or medication to protect flocks, the situation could worsen.
Experts have warned egg prices will only continue to rise this year. Patrick Penfield, a professor and supply chain expert at Syracuse University’s School of Management, told Nexstar in January that he believes prices could climb as much as 20 percent in 2025.
While bird flu may be driving up the price of eggs, it should not make them unsafe to eat. Eggs that are prepared correctly and cooked properly are safe to consume, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has noted. That applies regardless of whether there’s a bird flu outbreak or not.
