Asda and Lidl are limiting the number of cartons of eggs customers can buy due to supply disruptions due to rising costs and bird flu.
Asda is limiting customers to two boxes of eggs each and Lidl is limiting customers to three boxes in some stores, while Waitrose said it had not introduced any limits but was “continuing to monitor customer demand”.
Other major retailers, including Tesco, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and Co-op, assured customers that they continued to receive good supplies and were not limiting sales.
The UK is facing the worst avian flu ever, with a highly pathogenic variant circulating.
Since early November, bird keepers have been required to keep their animals housed and away from wildlife to reduce the spread. When there is a confirmed outbreak on a poultry or egg farm, all birds in the affected area are destroyed, meaning fewer eggs in the supply chain.
The outbreak exacerbates existing shortages caused by producers scaling back production or exiting the industry over higher costs, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine driving up farmers’ energy bills along with the cost of chicken feed, chickens and packaging.
Demand for eggs has also increased as consumers look for cheaper sources of protein to offset rising food bills.
An Asda spokesperson said: “We are working hard with our suppliers to solve the industry challenges that all supermarkets are currently facing, and to ensure that as many customers as possible can buy eggs, we have a temporary limit of two boxes per customer.”
The British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents supermarkets, said avian flu caused some supply disruption.
Andrew Opie, BRC’s director of food and sustainability, said: “While avian flu has disrupted the supply of some egg ranges, retailers are experts in supply chain management and are working hard to minimize the impact on customers .
“Some stores have introduced temporary limits on the number of boxes customers can buy to ensure availability for everyone.
“Furthermore, retailers have long-standing, established relationships with their suppliers and know how important maintaining these is for their customers and businesses.
“Supermarkets source the vast majority of their food from the UK and know they have to pay a sustainable price to egg farmers, but are limited by how much extra cost they can pass on to consumers during a cost-of-living crisis.”
The British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) said avian flu has exacerbated the problem of egg availability, with the disease leading to the mandatory culling of hundreds of thousands of laying hens in colonies, barns and free-range systems.
There were about 36.7 million egg-laying birds in the national flock, but there was capacity on farms for more than 44 million chickens.
However, BFREPA is also concerned about retailers who have not been paying farmers a fair price for months.
Figures showed that the average price of a dozen eggs in supermarkets has risen by about 50p, but some farmers had only seen a price increase of between 5p and 10p, it said.
In March, BFREPA called on all retailers to increase the price paid to farmers by 40 pence per dozen.
On Wednesday, BFREPA said it had asked Sainsbury’s for an urgent meeting after the retailer confirmed it stocked eggs imported from Italy.
BFREPA chief executive Robert Gooch said: “We have been warning for months that failure to pay farmers a price that will allow them to make a profit would lead to massive destocking or, worse, an exodus from the industry.
“Seeing Italian eggs on the shelves is a wake-up call to all retailers that they should not expect farmers to work for free. Enough is enough.
“I will be writing to Sainsbury’s today to request a meeting to discuss how we can forge a more sustainable future for egg producers. Sainsbury’s has made strong commitments to UK free range egg producers in the past and I hope that positive dialogue can lead to a change in what is a disappointing situation.”