The rising supplier costs of eggs could make your Sunday brunch more expensive

Monday, 16 January 2023

Eggs have been hard to get in recent times.

First, millennials were told to ditch their avocado on toast if they wanted to buy a house – could eggs be next?

An egg shortage had been making headlines over the past few weeks after the country phased out caged eggs.

Egg Producers Federation director Michael Brooks said he didn’t expect the shortage to ease for a few months, as there were not enough hens to have a constant supply.

Managing partner of popular Auckland restaurant Lucky 8 Julian Diprose said it had experienced a “massive price increase” for eggs over the past month.

Lucky 8 managing partner Julian Diprose says the cost of eggs is rising, and he may need to consider a menu change.

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Supply chain issues, Covid, and global inflation has seen the country suffer a shortage of eggs.

Lucky 8 is known for having every menu item at $8, so the price rise had led to the restaurant having to shop around suppliers.

“However, due to the shortage we are sometimes just forced to bite the bullet and get them at increased prices,” Diprose said.

Lucky 8’s suppliers had told him they were expecting the shortage to continue for the next month.

“So in the meantime we will hang on without making any drastic changes, however if it continues we will have to look at adjusting our menus.”

Stuff’s database tracking grocery staples shows the price of a 12-pack of size 7 eggs at the supermarket has been stable but getting your hands on the eggs is tricky.

At a New World in Christchurch, a 12-pack of Farmer Brown fresh colony size 7 eggs were $6.95 on Monday, while in Auckland and Wellington it was $5.89.

At a Countdown in Christchurch, the same pack was $6.30, while in Auckland and Wellington they were out of stock.

At a Pak ‘n Save in Christchurch there was no stock, while in Auckland the eggs were $5.69.

Pak ‘n Save owner Foodstuffs has applied limits to how many cartons people could buy.

Meanwhile, those who used free-range eggs or their own local suppliers had been unaffected by the shortage.

A spokesperson for Auckland’s Odettes Eatery said eggs would still be on the brunch menu because the cafe and restaurant had always used free-range eggs with a loyal supplier.

“We have had no issue with supply.”