Jody Serrano
Editor in chiefEditor in Chief at Xataka On. Before joining Webedia, I was a tech reporter at Gizmodo and The Messenger. While I've covered all sorts of things related to technology, I'm specialized in writing about social media, Internet culture, Twitch, and streamers.
It can be difficult to grasp how the egg shortage turned into a huge problem in the U.S. After all, there are eggs all over the world, right? Shouldn’t it be easy to just import more from abroad if they’re not available at home?
As it turns out, even sending eggs to the U.S. isn’t as clear-cut as it seems.
Finland turns down U.S. egg request. The U.S. has recently reached out to European allies like Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland to ask them if they can deliver extra eggs to America. It’s already gotten a couple of answers—and they’re not good.
Finland, for example, does not have national approval to export eggs to the U.S., according to YLE News. Getting this approval can be a long and drawn-out process, requiring rigorous studies and inspections. Finland has never exported eggs to the U.S.
"Launching exports is not a simple matter since there are no agreed rules in place," Veera Lehtilä, the executive director of the Finnish Poultry Association, said.
But even if there were rules in place, she added, the country doesn’t produce enough eggs that would make a difference in the U.S. Finland has four million laying hens.
Denmark also points to regulations. Unlike Finland, Denmark didn’t refuse the U.S.’ request, but did point out that it currently can’t export eggs to America under current regulations.
Danish Eggs sector manager Jørgen Nyberg Larsen told industry publication AgriWatch that there is a difference between how both countries handle eggs before selling them to consumers.
“Among other things, eggs in the US–both for consumption and egg products–must be washed, and we are not allowed to do that in the EU,” Larsen said. “I asked if that still applies, and they wanted to ask about that in Washington. They came back and asked how much we can deliver, and I have answered that.”
Why are egg prices so high in the U.S.? The primary reason behind the price and shortage of eggs is bird flu. As noted by the Associated Press, when the virus is detected on a poultry farm, all the birds are slaughtered to prevent the disease from spreading. Roughly 158 million birds have been culled in the U.S. because of the bird flu outbreak.
Bird flu isn’t the only thing to blame for America’s egg woes, though. Inflation has also affected the price of chicken feed, fuel, and labor. Farmers have also been forced to take additional measures to protect the birds from the virus.
The bottom line. Egg prices reached an all-time high in March, when the average cost of a dozen eggs in the U.S. hit $8.64. However, the Department of Agriculture recently said that the average cost had slid to $4.90 as customers hold off on buying eggs.
Some say this pause on the consumer side will help the U.S. replenish its eggs supplies, though another pressure point is approaching soon. Egg prices tend to spike near Easter because of the holiday demand.
Images | Amr Serag | Estudio Gourmet
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