Egg purchases limited by Trader Joe's and Kroger

Egg prices jumped more than 15% in January, after farmers had to cull millions of laying hens due to avian flu. The rise in grocery prices kept overall inflation elevated. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Major retailers across the country have begun limiting the number of cartons of eggs shoppers can buy, as prices continue to climb amid a decimated chicken supply.

At Trader Joe's, customers can only buy one or two dozen a day. The limit is in effect at all locations.

"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.

A spokesperson added, "The rule could be lifted when there are no issues on the supply."

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Kroger said it has not implemented a limit nationally, but some of its divisions have.

"In those divisions, the limits are two dozen per customer, per trip," a spokesperson said. It did not specify which divisions are enforcing the limits, and has not yet responded to further inquiries by NPR.

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The supply of eggs has been rocked by a bird flu outbreak that has persisted since 2022. Since then, nearly 160 million birds from commercial and backyard flocks have been affected.

The problem has gotten worse in recent months. From November to December, the number of birds infected increased by more than 11 million, and by nearly 5 million from December to January, according to USDA data.

Additionally, the average price of a dozen large, grade A eggs was $4.95 last month, up from $2.52 the year before, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Experts have said it is hard to predict how long it will take for the spread of the disease to be contained.

"I don't think the stores view it is in their interest for them to have empty shelves. They'd like to have eggs on the shelves when people show up," said David Anderson, a professor of livestock and food product marketing at Texas A&M University.

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The alternative would be to make the prices of eggs even higher to keep them on the shelves, he said.

John Cranfield, interim dean of the University of Guelph's agricultural college, added that empty shelves could lead customers to shop with competitors.

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