California Faces Egg Shortages Amidst Severe Bird Flu Outbreak – California Poultry Federation Official Website (2024)

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California Faces Egg Shortages Amidst Severe Bird Flu Outbreak – California Poultry Federation Official Website? ›

California is grappling with a severe bird flu outbreak in 2024, leading to significant egg shortages for the second consecutive year and causing price instability in stores. The California Poultry Federation has labeled this year as the state's most significant bout with bird flu.

But in California egg production was 317 million in December 2022, 277 million in February 2023 and today is down to 170 million. It remains uncertain how much it will rebound in the state once the current bird flu outbreak is over.

CALIFORNIA, USA — The California Poultry Federation is calling 2024 the biggest year of bird flu in California. For a second year in a row, it's creating egg shortages and unstable prices at the store.

Cal-Maine foods, America's largest egg producer, said this week it culled about 1.6 million hens and hundreds of thousands of young chickens. Some had tested positive for bird flu at a Texas facility. Cal-Maine produces brands like Egg-land's best and Land o' Lakes eggs.

April 26, 2024

The FDA continues to analyze this information; however, preliminary results of egg inoculation tests on quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-positive retail milk samples show that pasteurization is effective in inactivating HPAI. This additional testing did not detect any live, infectious virus.

California is grappling with a severe bird flu outbreak in 2024, leading to significant egg shortages for the second consecutive year and causing price instability in stores. The California Poultry Federation has labeled this year as the state's most significant bout with bird flu.

Cooking eggs to 160°F (71°C) will kill the avian flu virus.

Where does California get their eggs from? The combination of local producers, neighboring states, and national suppliers allows California to maintain a steady supply of eggs to meet the needs of its population.

As we mentioned above, Costco sells cartons of two-dozen (or 24) eggs, while Aldi and Trader Joe's sell eggs by the dozen. The eggs sold at both Trader Joe's ($3.49) and even Aldi ($3.65 on sale) might seem like they are cheaper — they are lower in price. But are they half the price?

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as bird flu, reemerged in U.S. commercial table-egg farms at the end of 2023 after a hiatus. Bird flu caused an egg shortage in 2022-23 that led prices to soar to record highs, economists said.

Do Eggland's best eggs have bird flu? ›

Eggs in General

There is no evidence that Avian Influenza has ever been transmitted to consumers through commercially produced eggs. Eggs and poultry products are safe to consume when normally cooked.

Eggland's Best Eggs are produced by approved licensed producers on farms located throughout the United States and the eggs are distributed locally. Producers are selected for their ability to meet the stringent quality standards of Eggland's Best.

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., the nation's largest producer and distributor of fresh eggs, announced the positive test result for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at its Parmer County, Texas facility on Tuesday.

Humans cannot get avian influenza from commercial milk or properly cooked poultry and eggs. Updated from an original article written by Eileen Haraminac, Michigan State University Extension. Safe handling and cooking practices can help eliminate the risk of avian influenza.

In laying hen flocks, a dramatic drop in egg production is often the first sign. Chickens and turkeys may display respiratory or nervous signs or die suddenly without first appearing sick. Your ducks and geese may show little or no signs of illness with any form of avian influenza infection and often none will die.

Food safety tips: avoid unpasteurized products, undercooked meat and fish. Here is what experts say to keep in mind about food safety amid the bird flu outbreak: Avoid unpasteurized milk and cheese made from unpasteurized milk. Avoid undercooked eggs, poultry and meat.

Egg costs also soared after the country in 2022 saw the deadliest outbreak of avian flu in U.S. history, driving up the average price for a dozen large grade A eggs to $4.25 and leading to shortages in some regions.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, has been detected on commercial farms in California and other parts of the U.S. The most recent outbreak of the highly transmissible strain of bird flu began in early 2022 and has resulted in the deaths of millions of chickens and turkeys.

Is HPAI in Los Angeles County? The first cases of avian flu or bird flu were been confirmed in LA County in October 2022. These cases are part of the ongoing nationwide bird flu outbreak, also known as HPAI H5N1. Between October 2022 and April 2023, 30 cases in birds were confirmed in LA County.

The risk assessment determined that the risk of humans becoming infected with HPAI through the consumption of contaminated shell eggs is low.