Bird Flu Outbreak Forces Egg Industry To Scramble
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The recent bird flu outbreak in the midwest is affecting the nation's poultry industry and egg prices. In fact, one Lancaster County egg producer says so far, it's taken out about 12-percent of the U.S. flock supply.
Paul Sauder -- the third generation president of R.W. Sauder Eggs in Lititz, Pa. -- says to date, 35 million birds have been culled, or euthanized, due to confirmed presence of the bird flu strains:
"The price is going to go up. It's a commodity, and we follow the pricing."
Sauder notes that the latest eggs taken out of production from the midwest were meant for the egg processing market:
"The biggest people affected are those buying the liquid eggs, whether that is a manufacturer making ice cream or pasta. They have felt the brunt of the price increase."
Consumers will have to scramble, with retail prices up about $1 for a dozen eggs since the outbreak began, but Sauder says it's still cost effective to break a few eggs for that omelette:
"Even if a grocery store sells a dozen eggs for $4, if you eat two for breakfast, that's still only about 65-cents for those two eggs."