If you think the egg aisle looks emptier -- and pricier -- you're not alone. Some D.C. grocery stores are restricting purchases on eggs, causing headaches for shoppers.
If you think the egg aisle looks emptier -- and pricier -- you're not alone. Some D.C. grocery stores are restricting purchases on eggs, causing headaches for shoppers.
Signs at one Whole Foods in Chevy Chase tell part of the story: prominently displayed, limiting customers to three dozen eggs per person.
"I heard about higher prices, not a shortage," one shopper, Andrew, told WTOP.
Across the area, chains like Harris Teeter, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are all seemingly acting to curb egg purchases.
"I noticed that we had fewer eggs, and I'm a big egg person, so that was a big deal," said another shopper, Carole, who told WTOP she uses eggs almost every day.
"I don't like it at all," she added.
One reason for the shortage could be an outbreak of bird flu putting a strain on inventory nationwide. A state emergency due to the rapidly spreading H5N1 virus was just declared in California.
"I didn't know bird flu was affecting the egg supply, so it's a surprise to me," Andrew said.
Bird flu is only part of the story though. It's true that the outbreak is happening at the same time as the egg shortage -- but it's not clear yet if there's a true link.
Add in recent holiday cooking across the country, and supply and demand do the rest when it comes to prices.
"I bought 18 eggs maybe two days ago. I didn't notice any change," said Yuji, another Whole Foods shopper. "Three dozen is still quite a lot, so maybe it's only a small shortage."
"After what you told me, I'm not really thinking about stocking up on them," Andrew added. "I'll probably buy something else."
"It seemed to me that we were beginning to have shortages before the bird flu was really a problem," Carole went on, telling WTOP she also hopes snow this weekend (and possibly next week too) doesn't exacerbate the problem.
WTOP reached out to several grocery store chains in the area for a statement. Only Giant Food responded. They said:
"We do not have a limit on the number of eggs customers can purchase. Giant Food is aware of the recent concerns regarding H5 bird flu. We continue to closely monitor the issue, and will take appropriate action, if needed. As always, the health and safety of our customers is our highest priority."
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