Michael Yingst scanned AC’s dairy section on a snowy afternoon in Dillingham.
He said, “I came here looking for eggs.” “Tomorrow is mine and I was hoping to make banana cream pie. It looks like we are going to be out for a while.
People in Alaska are facing egg shortages, just like Yingst. Many people are sharing photos of empty shelves on social media and trying to crowdsource eggs. Even big grocery chains such as Fred Meyer have a limit on how many eggs they can sell. prices have risen in the meantime. Rural areas are particularly hard hit because they only have one or two grocery shops, leaving them with less options. The shortages won’t stop anytime soon.
Kyle Hill, president of Alaska Commercial Co. said that “it’s not good news in anyway.”
The Alaska Commercial Co. (or AC) has 35 stores throughout the state. It calls itself the “largest rural Alaska retailer” and imports most of its eggs from Washington. Oakdell Farms was hard hit by the recent bird flu.
Hill stated that they had to deal with more than a million birds who had avian influenza in the farm. “There are huge supply problems in that we can’t get enough eggs.
It’s a trickle when they can get eggs. Hill stated that AC is telling its suppliers rural communities have limited options for groceries. AC might not have eggs which could lead to food insecurity for entire communities. Hill stated that it is difficult because AC is competing against large, national chains.
He said, “They are trying leverage their national size and their national distribution in order to get eggs elsewhere.” “But, it comes down to the truth, there are only so many eggs.”
Hill stated that only a limited amount of pressure can be applied to suppliers. It’s a supply-demand issue and all retailers push their suppliers.
He said, “It’s a fight because every retailer makes their case to the exact same suppliers.” This is not a Pacific Northwest issue. A friend of mine in Texas said that eggs were being sold at $9 per dozen because they had avian flu problems on a farm. It’s farm-dependent.
Rural Alaska is not going to have lower prices. When supplies are low, prices go up.
Sarah Nanalook waited patiently at the Dillingham AC shop this week as she waited for other shoppers. She had traveled 30 miles with them on snowmachines, from Manokotak, their hometown, to Dillingham to shop.
Manokotak Native Limited is the sole owner of our small trading shop. She said that there is no other store.
She stated that she has seen the egg price rise dramatically.
She said, “I had to buy two dozen Christmas presents for, I mean almost $20.”
A smaller number of Alaskans like Alicia Swan are relying on their chicken-keeping backyards. Alicia Swan browsed the dairy aisle but not for eggs. Because she and her family have chickens, that’s why they didn’t go to the dairy aisle.
She said that out of 17 birds, they average six to nine eggs per day. That’s quite impressive.
It’s difficult to keep chickens in Alaska rural areas, especially in winter when they tend to produce less eggs.
She said, “It can be difficult to get feed here.” You have to keep them warm, especially in winter. To keep them from laying eggs, we give them more light. They have sort of a winter vacation.”
What about Michael Yingst’s birthday banana cream pie? He is trying to think of a better plan.
He said, “Researching egg replacements to see if I can use any other substitute for eggs.” They are almost irreplaceable for many things. We’ll see if we can figure it out.
Bigfoot, Dillingham’s grocery store, is also short of eggs but expects to receive a shipment by next week. AC anticipates that a shipment will be delivered to all stores by the end next week. However, the egg shortage could last at least a few months.
