Trader Joe’s is limiting customers’ egg purchases across all of its stores as the country faces an egg shortage caused by a bird flu outbreak, the company announced Friday.
“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,” a company spokesperson told NBC News.
“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,” the spokesperson added.
The policy comes as some U.S. farmers have been forced to euthanize egg-laying hens as a way to prevent further spread of the disease — leading to nationwide shortages and a dramatic increase in egg prices.
This past December, the average price for a dozen Grade A large eggs in the U.S. was $4.15 — the second-highest price in the past decade. That was up from $3.65 in November, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
On Friday, Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the temporary shutdown of live bird markets in New York City, Westchester and Long Island following the detection of avian flu at seven locations in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.
Late last month, roughly 100,000 ducks had to be euthanized after an avian flu outbreak was detected at Long Island’s Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue.
The situation could go on for a while, officials say.
Early this week, Waffle House confirmed to the Daily News that its customers are now paying an extra 50 cents per egg to offset the nationwide shortage.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, prices are still expected to jump another 20% this year as agriculture workers try to replenish their bird populations.
Bird flu cases have now been confirmed in both domestic and wild birds in multiple locations across North America, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.