January 16, 2026

Supermarkets in France hit by egg shortage

Many French supermarkets have empty shelves in the egg section, with retailers blaming bad weather and bird flu for the shortages.

In recent weeks, many consumers in France have reported egg shortages, with pictures of empty shelves shared on social media.

Retailers said that a long-term problem has been made worse by recent outbreaks of bird flu, coupled with the snowy weather that recently hit France, causing widespread transport disruption.

However, the country has been struggling with egg shortages for some time, caused by a long-term trend of the French eating more eggs.

Consumer data shows that demand for eggs has risen steadily since 2024, with the cause being put down to rising prices for alternative proteins like meat and fish, coupled with the trend for the French to eat less meat overall and substitute eggs to make vegetarian dishes.

In a related development, a huge national 'chicken plan' has been launched to increase the number of chickens being farmed for eggs, with increased egg supply expected to be coming into effect from June 2026.

- The Local