Asda has become the latest supermarket to limit the number of eggs customers can buy due to supply chain issues.
The Big 4 grocer joins rivals Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Lidl, which are likely to face further egg shortages during the Christmas period following production price collapses and the bird flu outbreak.
According to the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA), a third of farmers have reduced hen numbers due to cost pressures and a quarter have stopped production either temporarily or permanently.
As a result, some stores have started rationing their eggs with one branch of discount grocer Lidl having put in place a three egg box per customer rule according to reporting by the Mirror.
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Other shoppers in Big 4 grocers Tesco and Sainsbury’s have also spotted signs warning of supply chain issues and shortages, with some tweeting that usual products found in stores have been replaced with alternatives.
With purchase limits on Eggs now in place at Lidl. pic.twitter.com/oAZb52DlVv
— Steve Dresser (@dresserman) November 11, 2022
🥚 And so it begins… Sainsbury has replaced its usual eggs with Italian barn eggs. Mamma mia! #greateggcrisis 🍳 pic.twitter.com/7AGRDHY1gQ
— Kien Tan (@kientan74) November 14, 2022
The egg shortages come as figures by BFREPA show that average egg prices have increased by 45p, while only a quarter of that, between 9p to 10p, has been passed on to farmers, an amount not enough to cover higher costs.
Data from Assosia has also found that just over 40% of the 149 fresh egg lines currently sold in all major retailers have seen price increases, with at least 15% between the new year and the first week of November.
A spokesperson for Noble Foods told Grocery Gazette: “Egg producers and packers are losing money due to the unprecedented level of inflation in the sector, driven by global events. Additionally, the sector is experiencing a record number of avian flu cases which have made producers extremely nervous about restocking their flocks.
“These issues of cost pressure and risk management require the entire supply chain to work together to find solutions to underlying challenges and ensure availability returns to normal levels. Meanwhile, as consumers would expect of us, we are continuing to work hard to get eggs from the farm onto shelves as quickly as possible to meet demand.”
The UK’s worst-ever outbreak of avian flu has also affected Christmas dinner staples as more than a third of all free-range Christmas turkeys have died.
As a result, Iceland announced last week that it would be freezing the price of its own-brand frozen turkeys to keep costs low for shoppers during the run up to the big day.
