Australia faces egg supply crisis thanks to outbreaks bird flu – and that prompted McDonald’s to cut its breakfast hours by 90 minutes, the company announced.
Australia has been battling outbreaks of the bird flu virus in recent monthsresulting in the euthanasia of about 1 million infected laying hens to limit the spread of the disease, according to Murray Watt, the country’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Citing “industry challenges”, McDonald’s announced Tuesday that it is temporarily serving breakfast until 10:30 a.m. am. instead of noon across Australia.
“Like many retailers, we are carefully managing our egg supply due to the current industry challenges,” McDonald’s said on its Australian Facebook page, adding that the company was “working hard with our Australian farmers and suppliers to get back to normal as quickly as possible.”
Limit on the quantity of eggs purchased
Supermarkets have also reportedly cracked down on Australians by imposing a limit of two boxes per customer. Australian retail giants Coles and Woolworths have reportedly imposed restrictions on how many boxes of eggs can be bought in one transaction in most states.
Consumers can expect to “see some empty shelves in the short term” with supplies being redirected to areas facing the biggest shortages, the Australian government said in its latest update, adding that there had been no impact on chicken meat supplies so far.
The government added that it is currently responding to outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H7, or HPAI, on 11 poultry farms.
Fear of scarcity?
The impact of bird flu in Australia is being felt across the poultry industry, said Rowan McMonnies, chief executive of industry group Australian Eggs, while signalling that consumers should not worry yet.
“Consumers can be assured that there are still more than 20 million hens in the care of hundreds of egg producers across Australia who will continue to work hard to ensure there are eggs on the shelves,” McMonnies said.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand noted there is currently no evidence people can contract the virus from “properly prepared” food.
“Avian influenza is not a food safety concern and it is safe to eat properly processed and cooked poultry, eggs and egg products,” the agency added.
Source: CNBC