
To help solve its egg price crisis, America is turning to Turkey (the country)
CNN
Turkey’s ramped-up exports come as avian flu has killed more than 140 million egg-laying birds in the United States since 2022, and 17 million alone in November and December. Fewer birds means fewer eggs — and higher prices.
America’s egg shortage has led US businesses to turn to Turkey. Not the bird, the country. Turkey plans to export 420 million eggs to the United States this year, the most ever, according to the Egg Producers Central Union in Turkey. The ramped-up exports come as avian flu has killed more than 140 million egg-laying birds in the United States since 2022, and 17 million alone in November and December. Fewer birds means fewer eggs — and higher prices. “Bird flu is the main reason of increasing export capacity,” said Ibrahim Afyon, chairman of the Egg Producers Central Union in Turkey. A carton of a dozen large Grade A eggs hit an average of $4.95 last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Costco and Trader Joe’s are limiting egg purchases per customer and Waffle House is charging a 50-cent surcharge per egg. It will take months to replace lost flocks, and the US Department of Agriculture is forecasting an additional 20% increase in egg prices this year. The price of eggs rose 15.2% in January and are up 53% year over year, according to January’s Consumer Price Index.