Numerous factors are contributing to the shortage, but essentially it is a case of demand outstripping supply. According to Egg Farmers of Australia, in recent years the industry has been impacted by a range of issues including bushfires, floods, droughts, a mice plague, COVID-19 impacts and increased production costs.
A number of factors, including food shortages, rising energy costs, and bird flu, are contributing to the egg shortage.
Businesses are being forced to pass on the higher costs to consumers. An avian flu that's wiped out egg-producing hens, leading to a major squeeze, is one of the reasons for the shortage. According to the USDA, about 60 million birds are gone because of the disease so far.
Woolworths blames reduced production for egg shortage
A Woolworths spokesperson previously confirmed to Yahoo News Australia the lack of supply is due to reduced production on a number of farms in some regions.
Food delivery, food boxes and home cooking exploded for a time. More fundamentally, this shortage reflects a long-term trend in egg-buying preferences, with a shift to free-range eggs, whose production is more affected by the colder, shorter days of winter.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand's Response
The statement continues to say that refrigerating whole eggs is not required because: The Salmonella bacteria which can contaminate an egg while it's inside the bird isn't present in Australian eggs.
We are proud to bring you these fresh Organic Free Range Eggs, Laid by our healthy hens on our ACO certified organic farms. Our hens are fed only on certified organic mix, and roam freely over certified organic pastures during daylight hours. Our farms are proudly Australian farmer owned and run.
An avian flu outbreak and increasing costs of fuel, feed and packaging have contributed to an egg supply shortage and high prices in some parts of the country.
Regulators typically strip eggs of their “free-range status” if the animals are kept inside for more than 16 weeks. This had previously been 12 weeks but was extended in 2018. New laws were brought in last November to ensure farmers kept their chickens indoors over the “largest ever outbreak of avian flu”.
Egg washing is not required in Australia, but sale of dirty eggs is prohibited by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Storing washed eggs below 7°C can help reduce the ability of Salmonella to grow.
Egg numbers change as we age
The monthly cycle described above then continues throughout a woman's life until there are no eggs left. You will have around 27,000 eggs remaining in your late 30s and around 1000 at the onset of menopause.
An egg shortage may change menus and prices in Sydney and Melbourne cafes. The shortage is due to reduced supply, after some egg producers cut output by 20 per cent. Despite consumer demand, it will take time to boost supplies. It takes up to five months to get a chick into production.
Yes, you can freeze eggs. Eggs can be frozen for up to a year, although it is recommended to use them within 4 months for freshness. Many people find themselves being left with spare egg whites or yolks after a recipe requiring just one or the other, or even throwing out unused eggs when the box hits its expiry date.
Fertile bird eggs can currently be imported into Australia from selected Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment approved countries only. To bring fertile eggs to Australia, they must meet all of the department's import conditions prior to export.
Eggs should be stored in the fridge. They are not stored in the fridge in shops because they would amass condensation on your way home and this is what will encourage contamination through the shell.
All of Aldi's organic and free-range eggs, as well as their free-range chicken, are RSPCA Assured, making them one of the largest retailers of RSPCA Assured free-range chicken in the UK.
A nationwide egg shortage has seriously impacted how Americans put together their holiday meals, with many stores shelves empty on a day-to-day basis. On top of inflation affecting how stores stock their inventory, a deadly strain of avian influenza has limited the country's supply of eggs.
Under the law, eggs labelled as 'free range' must come from hens that are able to roam and forage outdoors for at least eight hours each day. The maximum outdoor stocking density for free range egg farming is 10,000 hens per hectare of land or one hen per square metre.
The answer has to do with bacteria: Salmonella. In the United States, it's more than a food safety recommendation that eggs be refrigerated – it's the law. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) determined that the best way to fight Salmonella contamination is by sanitizing the eggs before they reach the consumer.
Chickens stop laying eggs for a variety of reasons. Hens may lay fewer eggs due to light, stress, poor nutrition, molt or age. Some of these reasons are natural responses, while others can be fixed with simple changes and egg laying can return to normal.
A major issue that has raised ethical concerns within the poultry sector is the fate of male chicks from laying strains. Although chickens can be used for both meat production and egg production, there is a trade-off between the two traits (Wolc et al., 2012; Giersberg and Kemper, 2018).
The main egg colour available in Australia is brown, although a small number of farms also sell white eggs. While many people assume brown eggs are more natural and therefore healthier, that's not the case. Brown hens lay brown eggs, white hens lay white eggs, and they both have the same nutritional profile.
In terms of egg imports into Australia, by value, 75% of the trade flows over the last five years have been from China, USA or European sources. China sits in top spot and has accounted for just over one fifth of the import of eggs into Australia, with the USA sitting in second place on 15% of the trade.
In fact, most eggs start out white, but different breeds are genetically coded to release different colored pigments as the egg passes through the hen's oviduct. Voilà! You have different colored eggs. Just like when you dye Easter eggs, the pigment doesn't penetrate the shell.
According to eggs.org.au (best domain name ever), the cartons we see on the shelves of Australian supermarkets contain eggs that were laid up to 42 days ago. That's six weeks. All we have to go by, traditionally, is the 'use-by' date. Or the even more confusing 'best before'.