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At Trader Joe’s grocery store in West Manhattan, frozen temperatures could not stop the big go of people waiting outside the store at 8am. Most are here to get an increasingly rare and highly sought-after item: a dozen eggs.
When the door opens, Rush leaves trader Joe’s employee Daniel, rushing to prevent anyone pushing each other, or stealing the limits of a store with one egg carton per customer. At noon, the entire scene unfolds once the noon egg delivery allows Trader Joe to restock.
The worst outbreak of avian flu in U.S. history has forced farmers across the country to cull millions of egg-soaked chickens, resulting in a widespread lack of eggs, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Wholesale prices for a dozen Midwest big eggs jumped to almost $9 from under $3 the previous year, according to the Commodity Price Information Service Expana.
In a speech to Congress this week, Donald Trump accused Joe Biden of “making egg prices “out of control.” His plans to lower prices include investment in research on avian flu and imports of tens of millions of eggs from overseas. Still, experts say it could take months for egg prices and supply to return to normal.
In the meantime, the shortage has resulted in insanity, strange behavior and high levels of stress among retail and hospitality workers. “My job is basically the eggs I do now,” says Daniel. Daniel compares the drama to the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s not just me. Eggs are the best thing anyone here can ask all day,” he adds.
Restaurants that include Chain Waffle House and Denny around the country have chosen to charge an additional fee on egg dishes to explain the higher prices. The server says angry customers are eliciting frustration by reducing hints.
Some shoppers collect money in unorthodox ways. “Two Big Organic Free Range Eggs in Fresh, Original Cartons” read one ad you found on the Facebook Marketplace. Eggs priced at $3 were left from baking birthday cakes. The New Yorker who posted them decided that it was obviously too valuable to sit behind the fridge.
Elsewhere, egg theft has risen. Owner Heong Park arrived at Seattle’s Luna Park Cafe on the 1st of last month, with two men stealing more than 500 eggs from the restaurant’s outdoor walk-in fridge. They also ingested nearly $800 worth of meat, fruit and liquid egg products, according to Seattle police.
However, few people have experienced the pain of the bird flu outbreak as much as those working on industrial farms in the country.
“Antonia” works at a chicken processing factory in Arkansas. She is not allowed to publicly talk about her work, so I asked her to withhold her real name. Antonia moved from El Salvador to the United States in 2000 in search of work to support her family, spending six hours each week for the past 23 years. Production lines are usually very enthusiastic, so workers are injured regularly, she said.
However, in the past few weeks, her shift ended four hours earlier as plant poultry stocks dried. The supervisor told Antonia and her colleagues that they had to kill the bird they received, but refused to say why. After talking to workers on nearby plants, Antonia is sure the reason is avian flu.
“You need more money on a check,” Antonia said. “You have to need at least 40 hours to meet the way life is now and how things are inflation.”
The Trump administration plans to stabilize national egg supply by focusing on farmer bailouts. But Antonia and Venceremonus, the advocacy group for workers she is participating in, are hoping for greater change.
This shortage will likely demand a higher standard if wealthy grocery shoppers and diners are looking at overcrowded factories that have helped spread the avian flu. The Great American Egg Crisis could prove a breakpoint in unsustainable food production.
taylor.rogers@ft.com
