Sacramento shoppers struggling to find eggs at grocery stores, bird flu blamed

INSURANCE RATES. NOW TO THE LATEST ON THE BIRD FLU. THE DISEASE HAS BEEN WREAKING HAVOC ON POULTRY FARMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. THIS IS VIDEO FROM JUST LAST WEEK AFTER A FARM IN WILTON HAD AN OUTBREAK FORCING OFFICIALS TO EUTHANIZE THE FLOCK. IT WAS THE FOURTH SUCH CASE IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY, AND MARKET ANALYSTS SAY BIRD FLU OUTBREAKS ARE REDUCING THE COUNTRY’S SUPPLY OF EGGS, AND IT’S LEADING TO SCENES JUST LIKE THIS AT GROCERY STORES. SHOPPERS FINDING EMPTY SHELVES NORMALLY STOCKED WITH EGGS. STORES IN THE SACRAMENTO AREA TELL US THEY ARE STRUGGLING TO GET EGGS ON THEIR SHELVES. KCRA 3’S ANDRES VALLE JOINS US LIVE FROM OUTSIDE. ONE OF THOSE STORES THAT HAS NONE IN STOCK RIGHT NOW. SO ANDRES, HAVE THEY SAID WHEN THEY’RE GOING TO GET MORE EGGS? YEAH. SO EAST SO COMPTON MARKET HERE IN EAST SACRAMENTO HAS BEEN OUT OF EGGS FOR A FEW DAYS NOW, BUT THEY ARE HOPING TO GET ANOTHER ROUND OF EGGS TOMORROW. BUT THEY TOLD ME THAT THEIR DISTRIBUTOR HAS NO IDEA HOW MUCH THEY WILL GET. AND IT’S BEEN LIKE THIS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS NOW THAT THE STORE HAS TOLD ME THAT SHOPPERS ARE STARTING TO NOTICE THAT THE COMPTON MARKET IS STRUGGLING TO KEEP EGGS ON ITS SHELVES. THEY SAY IT’S BECAUSE OF THE BIRD FLU. THAT’S THE ANSWER. THE STORE MANAGER, ANGEL MIRANDA, HAS GOTTEN FROM THE DISTRIBUTOR, RESULTING IN A LACK OF SUPPLY FOR THE STORE. IT’S BEEN LIKE THIS FOR LIKE TWO WEEKS, YOU KNOW, EVERY EVERY MONDAY IT LOOKS JUST LIKE THIS. AND SHOPPERS ARE NOTICING WHEN WE WERE HERE YESTERDAY TO GET EGGS, THERE WERE NO EGGS. SO IT WAS KIND OF NOTICEABLE. AND WE THOUGHT, OH, IT MUST JUST BE SUNDAY. BUT I GUESS IT’S BECAUSE OF THE BIRD FLU LADY. JUST A WHILE AGO CAME THROUGH MY REGISTERS LIKE, WHAT? ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO HAVE THE EGGS? THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE BAKING FOR THE HOLIDAYS. I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO TELL HER. AND THEY’RE NOT THE ONLY GROCERY STORE IN THE SACRAMENTO AREA FACING EGG SUPPLY CHALLENGES. THE SACRAMENTO NATURAL FOODS CO-OP TELLS US IT’S ALSO STRUGGLING TO SOURCE EGGS. SHOPPERS TURNING TO BIG GROCERY CHAINS LIKE TRADER JOE’S ARE ALSO LEAVING DISAPPOINTED. MY WIFE CALLED ME TODAY AT WORK AND SAID, PICK UP SOME EGGS AT TRADER JOE’S. AND I WENT IN AND BY GOD, THEY HAD EVERYTHING BUT EGGS. NOW SHOPPERS ARE WONDERING HOW THIS WILL IMPACT THEIR WALLETS. IT’S KIND OF ECONOMICS, ISN’T IT? IF IF THERE’S SCARCITY, THEN THE PRICE WILL GO UP. NOW, I ALSO ASKED COMPTON MARKET IF THEY PLAN ON LIMITING THE AMOUNT OF EGGS PEOPLE CAN PURCHASE. THEY SAID THEY HAVE NO PLANS ON DOING THAT AS OF RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY HOPE TO GET THOSE EGGS SOMETIME TOMORROW AFTERNOON. THEY’RE SEEING THEIR SWEET SPOT IS FROM 1 P.M. TO 3 P.M., SO IF YOU’RE LOOKING HERE IN EAST SACRAMENTO, HOPEFULLY THEY’LL HAVE THEM BY TOMORROW. LIVE HERE IN EAST SACRAMENTO ON THE KCRA THREE NEWS. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE FLOCKING TO THAT STORE BETWEEN 1 AND 3, I’M SURE. ANDRES, THANK YOU SO MUCH. IF YOU DO FIND EGGS, YOU’RE LIKELY PAYING MORE FOR THEM. GOVERNMENT DATA SHOWS EGG PRICES ROSE 8% LAST MONTH. SOME EGG SUPPLIERS SAY PRICES COULD NEAR THE RECORD HIGH, SET IN JANUARY OF 2023, WHEN A DOZEN GRAD

Shoppers across Sacramento are struggling to find eggs at their local grocery stores. It comes amid a rise in reports of bird flu cases.KCRA 3 visited multiple grocery stores throughout the region on Monday night, speaking to shoppers who have come into stores looking for the staple grocery item only to be disappointed not to find any. "A lady just a while ago came through my register. When are you guys going to have the eggs? There's a lot of people baking for the holidays. I didn't know what to tell her," said Ruben Rivera, a cashier at Compton Market. Compton Market in East Sacramento had no eggs on their shelves when KCRA 3 visited them Monday evening. Their store manager says this has been a common occurrence for the store recently. "It's been like this for like two weeks. You know, every Monday it looks just like this. They say it's because of the bird flu," said Angel Miranda, the store manager for Compton Market. Miranda said their distributor plans on getting them eggs Tuesday afternoon but is blaming the lack of supply for the store on an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu.Federal data shows 2.8 million commercial egg-producing birds were affected by the virus in Merced County on Dec. 5. In Kern County, 2.15 million birds were affected on Nov. 12. California is the most impacted state. In the last 30 days, bird flu was detected in 25 commercial poultry flocks, and four backyard flocks, for a total of more than 7.3 million birds, according to USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. That compares to 11.6 million birds in total for the country. Just last week, a poultry farm in Wilton was hit hard by the virus. "We were here yesterday to get eggs. There were no eggs, so it was kind of noticeable. And we thought, oh, just must be Sunday. But I guess it's because of the bird flu," said Shelly Stankeivicz, a shopper at Compton Market. Compton Market is not the only grocery store in the Sacramento area facing egg supply challenges. The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op told KCRA 3 it's also struggling to source eggs.Some shoppers are turning to big grocery chains like Trader Joe's, but are also leaving disappointed."My wife called me today at work and said, pick up some eggs at Trader Joe's. And I went in and by God, they had everything but the eggs," said Steve Phillips, a shopper at Trader Joe's.KCRA 3 noticed a sign inside Trader Joe's that said, "Sorry, we are out of eggs due to a shortage."Now, shoppers are wondering how this will impact their wallets."It's kind of economics, isn't it? If there's scarcity, then the price will go up," Stankeivicz said. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter--KCRA 3's Daniel Macht contributed to this story.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Shoppers across Sacramento are struggling to find eggs at their local grocery stores. It comes amid a rise in reports of bird flu cases.

KCRA 3 visited multiple grocery stores throughout the region on Monday night, speaking to shoppers who have come into stores looking for the staple grocery item only to be disappointed not to find any.

"A lady just a while ago came through my register. When are you guys going to have the eggs? There's a lot of people baking for the holidays. I didn't know what to tell her," said Ruben Rivera, a cashier at Compton Market.

Compton Market in East Sacramento had no eggs on their shelves when KCRA 3 visited them Monday evening. Their store manager says this has been a common occurrence for the store recently.

"It's been like this for like two weeks. You know, every Monday it looks just like this. They say it's because of the bird flu," said Angel Miranda, the store manager for Compton Market.

Miranda said their distributor plans on getting them eggs Tuesday afternoon but is blaming the lack of supply for the store on an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu.

Federal data shows 2.8 million commercial egg-producing birds were affected by the virus in Merced County on Dec. 5. In Kern County, 2.15 million birds were affected on Nov. 12.

California is the most impacted state. In the last 30 days, bird flu was detected in 25 commercial poultry flocks, and four backyard flocks, for a total of more than 7.3 million birds, according to USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

That compares to 11.6 million birds in total for the country.

Just last week, a poultry farm in Wilton was hit hard by the virus.

"We were here yesterday to get eggs. There were no eggs, so it was kind of noticeable. And we thought, oh, just must be Sunday. But I guess it's because of the bird flu," said Shelly Stankeivicz, a shopper at Compton Market.

Compton Market is not the only grocery store in the Sacramento area facing egg supply challenges.

The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op told KCRA 3 it's also struggling to source eggs.

Some shoppers are turning to big grocery chains like Trader Joe's, but are also leaving disappointed.

"My wife called me today at work and said, pick up some eggs at Trader Joe's. And I went in and by God, they had everything but the eggs," said Steve Phillips, a shopper at Trader Joe's.

KCRA 3 noticed a sign inside Trader Joe's that said, "Sorry, we are out of eggs due to a shortage."

Now, shoppers are wondering how this will impact their wallets.

"It's kind of economics, isn't it? If there's scarcity, then the price will go up," Stankeivicz said.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter

--KCRA 3's Daniel Macht contributed to this story.

Sacramento shoppers struggling to find eggs at grocery stores, bird flu blamed

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