Egg Shortage 2023 / High Egg Prices

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Overview

The 2023 Egg Shortage and High Egg Prices refer to the controversial rise of the price for eggs in the United States in January 2023 that led to memes about how expensive eggs were over other, luxury items. With eggs being a notoriously cheap and essential food to Americans, the so-called "egg shortage" generated lots of online discourse with many complaining about egg prices at Walmart, Kroger and other grocery stores, ultimately leading to memes like the "He went to Kroger" meme that put an egg in place of a diamond ring. The egg shortage was attributed to an avian flu outbreak that'd been affecting U.S. chickens since February 2022. The avian flu and egg shortage also spread to Canada, Europe and South America in 2023, additionally causing reactions and memes in other countries.

Background

Starting in February 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture^[1] (USDA) started documenting avian influenza in commercial and backyard flocks of chickens. By January 2023, an estimated 57.86 million birds had been affected by the flu. The U.S. state that was the most affected was Iowa. The flu ultimately resulted in the depopulation of more than 44 million laying hens in the U.S. Additionally, by January 2023, the avian flu was beginning to affect chicken flocks in Canada, Europe and South America according to the United Egg Producers.^[2]

In early January 2023, news outlets like the New York Times^[3] started reporting on the egg shortage that was becoming apparent via empty grocery store shelves. The Times specifically reported on a Whole Foods location in Manhattan, stating that ordinary Grade A eggs were nonexistent in the store and that only more expensive, organic eggs were available for purchase, costing more than $7 for a carton.

The Times also quoted Emily Metz, President and Chief Executive of the American Egg Board, who said in an interview that increasing costs of fuel, feed and packaging had also contributed to pricier and scarcer eggs.^[3] She emphasized that the avian flu was not the only factor.

Online Reactions

Starting in late December 2022 and continuing through early 2023, internet users began documenting egg shortages in their local grocery stores and making jokes about it. For instance, on December 23rd, 2022, Twitter^[4] user yvsuf_I tweeted, "How tf is there an egg shortage, who tf let the chickens go on strike," gaining over 340 likes in four weeks (shown below, left). On January 3rd, 2023, Twitter^[5] user lori_socal tweeted about, "some type of chicken revolution happening," gaining over 490 likes in two weeks (shown below, right).

On January 7th, 2023, the Facebook^[6] page Bear Army posted a meme with a man presenting eggs to a woman as if it were a present with the caption, "Omg! He Went To Kroger," gaining over 200 reactions in 11 days and multiple other viral reposts^[7] (shown below, left). On January 12th, the Facebook^[8] page of WASP 104.5 FM Huntington posted a meme that showed an egg where a diamond ring should be with similar text reading, "He Went To Kroger," earning over 60 reactions in six days and many other viral reposts^[9] (shown below, right).

More memes surfaced going into mid-January 2023, spreading across multiple platforms and websites. For instance, on January 8th, 2023, Twitter^[10] user alifarhat79 tweeted, "Symbols of wealth through the ages," and showed a picture of eggs to represent 2023, gaining roughly 8,600 likes in 10 days (shown below, left). On January 16th, TikToker^[11] coltongroves posted a photo slideshow with multiple egg shortage-related memes, earning roughly 1.3 million plays and 200,100 likes in two days. One meme in the slideshow showed a fridge filled with eggs and text reading, "the new flex 👁️" (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Skepticism

Although the egg shortage was attributed to avian flu, some internet users portrayed skepticism, including those within the poultry business. For instance, on November 8th, 2022, Twitter^[12] user ThatWelshFarmer posted a video about the egg shortage in the U.K., alleging that it was not due to avian flu, but rather due to supermarket companies not paying farmers fair prices. The video received roughly 864,000 views and 8,000 likes in two months (shown below).

Share this far and wide.. Avian Flu is not the main reason we’re in an egg shortage. Supermarkets doing as they please again. #eggshortage #backbritishfarming pic.twitter.com/k0rr1Q3Tsa

— Ioan Humphreys 🐑🐄🐓 (@ThatWelshFarmer) November 8, 2022

Toilet Paper Crisis

Toilet Paper Crisis refers to a panic buying spree in Australia following the report of one man's death in the country due to Coronavirus. Although many people bought out toilet paper in many stores around the globe, the most notable shortage of toilet paper in stores and commentary online originated in Australia in March 2020.

2021 United States East Coast Gas Shortage

2021 United States East Coast Gas Shortage refers to a shortage of gas caused by the panic hoarding that followed a cyberattack on a major pipeline carrying fuel to the Southeastern U.S. The shortage, which affected gas stations along the East Coast of America, became a viral subject of discussions and memes, with two pieces of old footage of people storing gas in plastic bags being mispresented as current events and widely circulated.

Baby Formula Shortage 2022

Baby Formula Shortage 2022 refers to the lack of powdered baby formula in the U.S., evident in pharmacies in May 2022 under Joe Biden's presidency and during the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court document leak. The crisis was linked to the recall and FDA investigation of baby formula companies, ones that controlled 89 percent of the industry, the primary one being Abbott Nutrition and their Sturgis, Michigan facility. The event inspired baby formula memes and discussions across Twitter and Reddit related to politics, the economy and breastfeeding. In May 2022, the discussion surrounding the baby formula shortage picked up after Joe Rogan discussed it on his podcast and the controversy grew online.