Important Takeaways:

• Consumers nationwide are facing egg shortages at retail stores, leading to purchasing restrictions and sky-high prices when they are in stock.
• The cost of eggs surged by 15.2% in January, according to the Labor Department’s consumer price index. This marked the largest increase in egg prices since June 2015 and accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total monthly rise in food prices, the Labor Department reported.
• Whitney Bissonnette, an Arkansas-based chicken breeder, is fielding 50 to 100 messages every day from people asking to buy her chickens.
• Jen Tompkins, co-founder of Rent The Chicken, a company that helps people rent chickens and provides all the necessary supplies, from feed to coops, has been flooded with inquiries, which have surged by 500% as of last week.
• Stephanie Hall, who has a farm stand in South Carolina, told FOX Business she can’t keep up with the requests she has been getting from people seeking to buy her eggs.
• Gina Bare, director of program and partnership development at the National Environmental Health Association, recognizes that the “rise in backyard chicken coops reflects an exciting trend in local food production, with families increasingly interested in raising their own flocks for fresh eggs and educational opportunities.”

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