We’ve seen questions about egg supply, safety, and prices in social media this week, following some gaps on store shelves over the holidays and news out of the US about supply and price. We’d like to take a moment to address that.

Egg supply in BC grocery stores was lower than normal over the holidays due to two factors – high seasonal demand we see every year as people cook and bake more over the holidays, and the impacts of avian influenza, which has been a challenge this fall.

For British Columbians in the grocery store over the holidays, the typical experience was that eggs were available on the shelf, however they may have been some gaps. The usual brand or size shoppers were used to buying may not have been there, but there were typically other options. Egg deliveries were happening regularly, so the shopper experience was fluid and varied by individual stores depending on what they ordered and how busy they were. Now that holidays are over demand is slowing and shelves are already starting to return to normal.

British Columbians should not have noticed a significant price difference, unlike what the US is experiencing. That’s because eggs are supply managed in Canada, which means the price farmers receive for eggs is set. Stores can, of course, set their prices as they’d like, but the price at the farm level was unchanged.

Supply management also gives us some supply levers to pull – in this case, graders (the companies that purchase eggs from BC’s 150-plus egg farms and sell them on to stores) have been bringing eggs in from other provinces to supplement local supply. This will likely continue at some level until the BC egg farmers affected by avian flu rebuild their flocks, which will take several months.

This is not a food safety issue in BC. Eggs in our grocery stores are as safe to eat, and as high quality as they have ever been. Eggs from birds infected with avian influenza (along with chickens and turkeys) are removed from the food supply. Food safety is always paramount and Canada has among the most stringent food safety standards in the world. Measures are in place along the entire supply chain to protect consumers.

Of course, we should always practice safe food handling, cooking, and cleaning practices in our kitchens, and thoroughly cook any poultry products, including eggs. Cooking eliminates any potentially harmful viruses or bacteria. So, wash your hands, utensils, and work surfaces after handling raw poultry or eggs, and make sure food is cooked thoroughly.