Egg shortage hits supermarkets as caged eggs phased out
Tuesday, 27 December 2022
The supermarkets say there is short supply of eggs as a result of the phase-out of caged eggs.
Eggs are unavailable at some Countdowns around the country and Foodstuffs has responded to the shortage by introducing a temporary limit on the purchase of eggs.
Countdown has put up signs in some of its store informing shoppers of the low egg stocks.
Foodstuffs said demand for eggs at this time of the year was at an all-time high which had contributed to the supply issues.
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When the Government introduced legislation in 2012 to phase out caged eggs by 2023, the phase-out was expected to create a temporary decrease in overall supply.
The Egg Producers Federation of New Zealand has been contacted for comment.
Foodstuff said the move to phase out cage eggs was “a significant change for the egg supply industry”.
“To help support the transition, and to make sure customers get a fair shake when they shop, some Foodstuffs stores have put on temporary limits on eggs,” said Emma Wooster, spokesperson for Foodstuffs.
“As we phase-out caged eggs from our stores, we’ll be working with the egg industry to increase our offer in colony, barn and free-range egg and we’re committed to working closely with government and New Zealand egg suppliers to meet our target to become fully cage-free by 2027.”
Countdown said it was not just its stores being affected by stock issues.
“We are experiencing a reduced supply of eggs at the moment due to the challenges our egg farmers have faced in the last couple of years and the impacts of upcoming regulatory changes to their businesses,” a spokesperson for the chain supermarket said.
“We have direct partnerships with our egg farmers and we appreciate our customers’ understanding while we work closely with farmers to get more eggs on shelf as soon as possible.”