Washington state has been experiencing a shortage of eggs in major grocery retailers, including QFC, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Since January, the shortage has led to a spike in egg prices by approximately 20% nationwide, according to the Department Of Agriculture.

The cause is avian influenza, also referred to as bird flu, which has impacted the egg supply by killing more than 20 million chickens across the U.S. The outbreak is wreaking havoc on farms due to the month-long sanitation process required to disinfect facilities and resume egg production in the case of an outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that eggs are safe to eat and are checked for contamination before entering the food supply. In the past few months, misinformation has circulated that eggs and poultry are unsafe or harmful to consumers.

For consumers residing in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, the egg shortage has affected their budgets, lifestyles and nutrition.

Jack Lessard, a third-year economics major, shared how the shortage has impacted his nutrition and access to affordable food.

“Having one of the best sources of nutrition, versatile, and easy-to-make foods go from affordable and available to laughingly expensive and problematically scarce has definitely been frustrating,” Lessard said.

Like many students, Lessard meal preps and follows a tight budget. The unforeseen price increases have unforgettably made significant reductions to his diet.

“I used to eat eggs almost once, sometimes multiple times a day, but now I’ve completely phased them out of my diet in a matter of weeks,” Lessard said.

Lessard is heavily anticipating the end of the outbreak and a decrease in prices so he can return to normalcy.

“I’ve made substitutions but would want to go back to eating eggs again,” Lessard said.

He also explained how the steady cost increases have been an overall nuisance for his meal-prepping routine.

“I was spending a lot more on eggs than I was previously, and now I haven’t fully taken stock, but it’s costing me more time to prepare and cook the things I’ve substituted for eggs, so it’s costing me more both ways,” Lessard said.

Mia De Luca, a first-year communication and media major at Seattle University, weighed in on her perspective of the bird flu outbreak and shared tricks for navigating the shortage.

“I don’t usually shop at the Cave, I usually eat most meals on campus and then get snacks and extras at Whole Foods. Honestly, I hadn’t really noticed it because I go to Whole Foods first thing when I wake up on Sundays when they’re stocking, so I am there when they’re literally putting the eggs in the fridge,” De Luca said.

De Luca admitted that she’s purchased eggs in bulk to avoid running out, which puts her at a significant advantage.

“I stockpile, I’ll admit it. I get as much as they’ll let me carry,” De Luca said.

She also acknowledged that the outbreak has not seriously disrupted her lifestyle as it has for Lessard.

“I mean, I haven’t really noticed it. I would probably notice it more if places like Red Hot Rudy’s ran out, but they never will because we all know those aren’t real eggs,” De Luca said. 

De Luca concluded that, as of now, her diet has not faced any significant consequences since she does not consume many eggs in her diet.

“I don’t really eat that many eggs normally. I mostly eat breakfast burritos because they’re convenient if I am running straight from the pool to class,” De Luca said.

Other students, like First-year Communication and Media Major Sidney Chandler, have been caught off guard by the outbreak.

“I didn’t really know it was going on until someone told me,” Chandler said.

Chandler has noticed a change in the atmosphere for consumers when shopping at grocery stores in the area.

“I went to Target the other day and they were like, ‘No eggs.’ There were very strict limits on the amount of eggs people could buy. Because I mainly just eat meals here, I am just chilling,” Chandler said. 

Chandler concluded that student life on campus has certainly been disrupted, and students want to return to their sense of normalcy.

“I have noticed that a lot of people cooking or baking in the residence hall have made comments about having to use substitutions because the prices for eggs are so high and the amount you can buy is so limited,” Chandler said.

As the outbreak continues, grocery retailers are instituting price increases and limits for consumers while the virus remains an ongoing concern.