‘Cage-free’ eggs are causing shortages across the US, but there’s good news, an expert says
Americans across the United States go to grocery stores and notice that there are many egg shelves are almost empty or empty, period.
“You can’t get eggs anywhere, I mean anywhere,” Fox News host Jesse Watters said on “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Wednesday night, Jan. 22. “I can only get the bad ones that are not yellow and not fluffy.”
In New Jersey, Watters said, “you just can’t get good, pasture-raised, nice, organic eggs.”
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“So Donald Trumpbefore you solve the drone problem, we need eggs,” Watters said. “And we need them fast.” (Watch the video at the top of this article.)
Eggs are indeed few and far between and Watters’ favorite pasture-raised eggs they are even harder to find.
Signs warn customers of an egg shortage at a Florida grocery store on January 23, 2025. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“The nation’s egg supply has been strained by highly pathogenic avian influenza — also known as HPAI or bird flu — which is devastating for egg farmers,” Emily Metz, president and CEO of the Chicago-based American Egg Board, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The nonprofit provides resources to “market eggs nationally,” according to its website.
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The U.S. alone could lose more than 40 million laying hens to bird flu in 2024, Metz said.
While the country as a whole has an egg shortage to some extent, Metz said it’s even worse in states with laws requiring store-bought eggs to be “cage-free.”
“Cage-free” chickens are disproportionately affected by bird flu. (iStock)
The states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon and Washington all have this law, according to CageFreeLaws.com, which tracks cage-free laws by state.
“Disruptions in supply can be more pronounced [among] retailers and in countries where they exclusively sell cage free eggs because of the impact of HPAI on cage-free farms, which were disproportionately affected late last year,” Metz told Fox News Digital.
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About 40% of laying hens in the U.S. are “cage-free,” she said.
Of the birds lost to bird flu, more than half of those birds are uncaged, Metz added. “It is important to know that bird flu does not discriminate based on the size of the farm or the housing environment. The disease is transmitted wild birds“, she said.
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Once a laying hen tests positive for bird flu, the entire flock is destroyed to prevent the spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“It’s important to know that bird flu doesn’t discriminate based on the size of the farm or the environment they’re in.”
“When an egg farm is affected by HPAI, it must go through multiple steps with government approvals before it can restock new flocks, a necessary process that can take six months to a year,” adding to supply problems, Metz said. .
Egg production, she said, is “complex and time-sensitive,” she said.
US egg supply was also affected by increased demand during the winter holidays. (iStock)
“What we know now is that our system is strained — and HPAI remains a clear and present risk to poultry flocks,” Metz said.
Increased demand is also affecting egg supply in the US.
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“The amount of eggs sold at retail has increased year-over-year for 22 consecutive months, and we are just coming out of the peak demand season of the year — the winter holidays — when egg sales increase significantly due to holiday baking and fun,” Metz said.
“The good news is that egg farmers have a lot of experience working together to move eggs across the country to where they are needed most.”
Despite these challenges, Metz said there is reason to be hopeful about the future.
“The good news is that egg farmers have a lot of experience working together to move eggs across the country to where they’re needed most – and that’s exactly what they’re doing now,” she said.
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“Keeping their birds safe and healthy is every egg farmer’s top priority, and they work around the clock to protect their birds, restock and keep those eggs coming.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Costco for comment, where customers have noted recent egg shortages. Many local grocery stores across the country there was also a decrease in inventories and a rise in prices.
