I just received an update from Pocono Pro Foods regarding the egg/ egg whites shortage and all the other products being effected by the Avian bird virus. I want to share the information so everyone is aware of why cafes are being shorted product and/or products are being substituted and the prices of certain goods are rising.
The Avian bird virus is fast becoming a crisis like we have never seen before. More and more companies are shorting orders on egg products and turkey. And these are very large companies…like Perdue, Butterball, and Michael eggs. The flu has devastated the bird flocks in the center of the country, in the Mississippi Valley. It has not hit the east coast yet, which is also a big poultry producing part of the country. The fear is that it could very soon. The flu has been sourced from Canadian geese, and when the southern migration starts in September/October, it could hit the east coast when they head south.
The prices of everything made with eggs such as all baked goods, mayonnaise, etc. will be rising very quickly in the near future. For the first time ever in this country’s history, we are looking at importing eggs. France and Denmark are applying for approval to do that. Turkey prices are climbing as well. And that is if we can even get it. Berks is out of sliced turkey. Sara Lee is shorting orders of sliced turkey. PPF placed an order from Perdue to come in next Tuesday, but there is no guarantee they will get it. Butterball has already warned that there may not be any whole turkeys for Thanksgiving. It will be a minimum of one year to turn this around, longer if it gets worse.
I will continue to look for solutions and keep everyone posted of new news and progress.