A Major Egg Shortage is on the Horizon

A serious round of Avian flu is affecting midwestern farms in America, and is having a pronounced effect on the chicken industry. Farmers are being forced to kill around 38 million affected birds, about 87% of which are egg laying hens. As Grub Street reports, major companies are now bracing for a shortage in the supply of eggs, with large companies such as McDonalds scrambling* to find new suppliers.

There is a silver lining. Major companies that rely on egg products are flocking** to producers such as Hampton Creek, who make egg-substitutes.

The current strain of bird flu is troubling, as most scientist do not know how it is spreading, though theories suggest the virus is traveling through wild birds. Commercial farms are the ones experiencing the worst casualty rates, as "health officials warn there's hardly a more ideal incubator for mutations than poultry sheds with thousands of birds in close quarters".

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*I just HAD to include at least one pun.

** OK, two.