Higher egg prices at local restaurants and grocery stores are here to stay for a while.
An outbreak of avian flu in June triggered a massive culling of about 42 million egg-laying chickens and pullets and caused an egg shortage, according to the Department of Agriculture.
At Durango Doughworks, restaurant owner Karen LaVallee has been upfront with her customers, posting a sign about her 50-cent surcharge for egg dishes and the nationwide shortage. She plans to eliminate the fee when egg production returns to normal.
The shortage started this summer during the tourist season, which made it tough for LaVallee to meet demand, especially because her suppliers had to start rationing restaurants.
“I was able to scramble and get eggs from other people,” she said.
The egg rationing is still going on, but it has gotten a bit easier for Doughworks to meet demand because the tourist season has ended, she said.
At grocery stores, shoppers will also find higher priced eggs. The national average for a dozen large eggs has risen by 50 percent since last year, up to $2.96 from $1.97, according to a Bureau of the Labor Statistics report from September.
Across Colorado, the high demand has been good for egg producers, who were completely unaffected by the avian flu.
“The demand for eggs is very robust,” said Jerry Wilkins, the president of the Colorado Egg Producers Association.
About 4 million egg-laying hens are in Colorado, and they produce about 1 billion eggs a year, he said.
But this is a very small fraction of the industry. Before the flu hit, there were about 305 million egg-laying hens nationwide.
It will likely take a year to 18 months before the flock is fully restored and the shortage eases, he said.
Companies making egg-products, like liquid egg whites, have been hit hardest by the culling because about 30 million of the egg-laying chickens were dedicated to egg products.
Some European countries have been approved to export eggs on a temporary basis, and that should help meet demand, he said.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
