Large-Scale 'Egg Theft' Incidents Occur Amid Surging Prices
Egg Shortages Lead Restaurants to Impose Extra Charges
Egg Price Hike Becomes a Political Issue in the U.S.
As avian influenza spreads in the United States, egg prices have skyrocketed, leading to large-scale 'egg theft' incidents in various locations.
According to The Washington Post and others, on the 1st (local time), 100,000 eggs disappeared all at once from a grocery company's transport trailer in Pennsylvania. The stolen eggs were worth about $40,000 (approximately 58 million KRW). More than ten days after the incident, local police have yet to identify the whereabouts of the culprit. Pennsylvania police stated, "This is the first egg theft incident of this scale."
On the 10th (local time), a sign reading "Eggs Sold Out" was posted at a store in California, USA. Photo by Xinhua News Agency
On the 5th, a restaurant in Seattle also had 540 eggs stolen. CCTV footage obtained by local police clearly showed the thief loading groceries such as eggs, bacon, ground meat, and blueberries into a van.
Investigators believe these thefts are related to the recent surge in egg prices caused by the spread of avian influenza. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) culled 13.2 million laying hens in December last year, but the spread of avian influenza continued into January this year. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's consumer price statistics released on the 12th, the average retail price of a dozen Grade A large eggs in January was $4.95. This represents a 15.2% increase from the previous month and a 53% surge compared to the same month last year. This also surpassed the previous record high of $4.82 in January 2023, which was also driven by avian influenza. The Department of Labor explained that the January egg price increase was the highest monthly rise since July 2015 and accounted for two-thirds of the increase in household food prices in January.
As egg shortages occurred in some local grocery stores, several restaurants began charging extra fees for menu items containing eggs. The franchise restaurant Waffle House has been charging an additional 50 cents (about 700 KRW) for menu items containing eggs, such as waffles, hamburgers, and sandwiches, since the 3rd.
The egg price surge has even become a political issue. Former President Trump criticized the Biden administration for "failing to control high grocery prices." He promised to lower grocery prices on his first day in office, but as egg prices continued to soar, the Democratic Party criticized him, saying, "President Trump is not fulfilling his promise to immediately lower prices."
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