Egg-streme measures: Grocery chains impose purchase limits amid egg shortage – MLive.com
Cartons of eggs sit inside cooler at Norma’s Sweets Bakery Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Stephen Smith)APIt has never been more expensive to buy eggs in the United States. As a result, grocery stores nationwide are beginning to limit how many eggs you can purchase. The limits can be found at major retailers like Aldi, Kroger, Trader Joe’s and Walmart according to the Associated Press. Some grocery chains are leaving the decision up to individual stores or regions, while others have implemented restrictions at all stores. Trader Joe’s is allowing customers to buy one dozen eggs per day, while Walmart is limiting purchases of bulk 60-count egg packages to two per purchase. Related story: National restaurant chain now charging 50 cents extra for each egg in your order“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 company said in a statement sent to The Associated Press Tuesday.Kroger has not imposed a nationwide rule on eggs, but says some local stores are asking customers to limit purchases to two dozen at a time. Consumers have also reported buying limits at smaller regional grocery store chains. “Although supply is very tight, we’re working with suppliers to try and help meet customer demand, while striving to keep prices as low as possible,” Walmart said in an emailed statement.On Wednesday, data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the average cost of a dozen eggs hit a record high of $4.95 in January. That price is expected to rise even more in the coming weeks and months as demand spikes around the Easter holiday. Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted egg prices will rise by another 20 percent this year. That means the average cost could be near $6 a dozen at some point in 2025. The egg shortage is being caused in large part by the ongoing bird flu outbreak. The Agriculture Department reports that farmers slaughtered 41 million birds in December and January. While those figures include turkeys and chickens raised for meat, the department says the majority of the birds were egg-laying chickens. Related story: Thieves poach $40K worth of organic eggs from trailer in PennsylvaniaAn estimated 158 million birds have been slaughtered since the outbreak began in 2022. Along with losing the chickens, farmers also have to contend with the time it takes to dispose of the carcasses, sanitize the barns and raise new birds. It can take several months for a farm to be ready to supply eggs again after dealing with a bird flu outbreak. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025).© 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.YouTube’s privacy policy is available here and YouTube’s terms of service is available here.Ad Choices
