These NJ grocery stores are making it harder to buy eggs; see why

Grocery stores across New Jersey are making it harder to snag extra eggs by enacting a purchase limit as a deadly outbreak of avian flu has caused a strain in supply, leaving grocery store shelves empty and driving up prices.

Walmart, Trader Joe’s and Costco, which have several locations across the Garden State, are the latest in a handful of retailers scrambling to keep eggs in stock while limiting purchases to curb customer hoarding.

Trader Joe’s is limiting egg purchases to one carton per customer, per day, to ensure shoppers who need eggs are able to purchase them when they shop, the grocery store said in a Monday statement to USA TODAY.

The egg crisis has been documented heavily on social media, with customers disheartened by empty shelves and skyrocketing prices. Here’s a list of the stores that are limiting their customers’ purchasing powers, or enacting slightly different rules.

Are there egg limits at Trader Joe’s?

Trader Joe’s is limiting egg purchases to one dozen per customer per day in all stores across the U.S., the grocer confirmed with USA TODAY.

Are there eggs limits at Costco?

Costco, which has over 20 locations in New Jersey, said it is limiting customers to three cartons of eggs per visit, aiming to prevent individuals from buying excessive amounts to ensure others have access to eggs, CNN reported. The store typically sells two- and four-dozen cartons.

Are there egg limits at Walmart?

Walmart said they are not imposing purchase limits nationally, except on 60-count cartons, which have been limited to two per purchase, a spokesperson for the retailer told USA TODAY on Tuesday.

Are there egg limits at Whole Foods?

Several media outlets including Tasting Table have reported Whole Foods is limiting customers to three cartons per customer.

Are there egg limits at Aldi?

Aldi, which has 63 locations in New Jersey, has not announced a company-wide policy regarding egg shortages, although egg availability appears to affect certain stores. For example, a customer turned to Reddit on Sunday to share a sign at the Aldi in Edison that limited customers to two cartons.

Why is there an egg shortage?

Eggs are becoming difficult to find due to the rise in highly pathogenic avian influenza, a strain of what is known as the bird flu. The strain has decimated the supply of egg-laying poultry since January 2022.

That, combined with factors including inflation, has directly impacted the average price of eggs. As of the end of January, the wholesale price of a large carton on eggs in the New York market rose to an average an average of $7.63 per dozen, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.