Egg shortages raise concern among some students about grocery prices

A carton of eggs from Trader Joe’s in College Park, MD (Mario Morais/The Black Explosion)

College Park grocery stores are seeing an impact on egg sales due to the bird flu virus hitting farms across the country in recent weeks.

The H5 bird flu is a virus caused by avian influenza A, a virus that can rapidly spreading between birds and dairy cows, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

University community members have recognized the impact of bird flu in their local stores, noting increased prices and empty egg shelves.

Trader Joe’s, one of the grocery stores within walking distance of campus, has experienced issues with their supply of eggs, according to public relations manager Nakia Rohde. Reporters from The Black Explosion found egg prices as high as $7 inside the grocery store for certain selections of eggs.

Anthony Lukban, a freshman finance major, shops at Trader Joe’s once a week and says he’s noticed the decrease in egg supply and a price increase.

The grocery chain has been limiting the number of eggs a customer can purchase to one carton at a time, according to Rohde.

“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,” Rohde said.

Lidl, another nearby grocery store, did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the impact of bird flu on their stores.

Increased egg prices are also proving to be an obstacle for some students. Egg prices rose by 19 percent in January, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“4 dollars is ok, it used to be under that - but $6 is a lot just for a dozen [of eggs],” said Nardos Yeshitila, a junior communications major and Whole Foods shopper.

Yeshitila says she hasn’t experienced a shortage at Whole Foods but worries that the shortage may eventually impact her daily diet.

A spokesperson for University Dining Services says that their supplier, Albright Farm, a local egg supplier, has not experienced the impacts of bird flu.

“They have not been impacted to nearly the extent the national egg supply has been impacted,” said Bart Hipple, assistant director for marketing and communications for University Dining Services. “We are fortunate that they’ve been able to continue to [support] all our needs through this school year.”

This isn’t the first time the university has experienced food supply concerns. Hipple says COVID-19 also presented food-sourcing challenges for dining halls, but Dining Services was able to keep up with student demand through its relationships with suppliers.

Hipple said students would be made aware if the food supply could not meet student demand.