A large Texas supermarket chain has begun rationing eggs, in the face of a growing national shortage due to an outbreak of avian flu.
Customers at many outlets of the H-E-B chain of supermarkets have been confronted by notices advising them they are restricted to buying three cartons of a dozen eggs per shopper.
The move follows an announcement by another Texas-based company, Whataburger, that it is reducing hours on weekday mornings during which it will serve egg dishes as part of its breakfast menu.
Photo: AP
Notices have been going up across H-E-B’s 350 supermarkets, aimed at stopping commercial businesses, such as restaurants, clearing the shelves of eggs.
“The purchase of eggs is limited to three cartons per customer,” the notices read, according to a local news report in Texas on Thursday.
The company issued a statement that called the situation temporary, but was not able to tell customers when ordinary shopping would resume.
The outbreak of bird flu began in the US Midwest. Across much of the nation, egg prices have been rising , along with prices for chicken and turkey meat.
“The United States is facing a temporary disruption in the supply of eggs due to the avian flu,” the statement said. “H-E-B is committed to ensuring Texas families and households have access to eggs. The signs placed on our shelves last week are to deter commercial users from buying eggs in bulk.”
Whataburger, a family-owned fast-food chain based in San Antonio that operates more than 700 outlets, posted a message on its Facebook page about its newly restricted breakfast rules.
The company announced that from Monday last week, it would cut back breakfast hours to 5am to 9am Monday to Friday, instead of serving breakfast until 11am. On weekends, the chain will continue to serve egg-based breakfast items until 11am.
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