Supermarkets egg shortage 2022: Tesco, Asda & Lidl introduce sale restrictions

As a supply shortage and cost rows with suppliers cause restrictions, we look at the various buying limits supermarkets have put in place.

A host of supermarkets have introduced restrictions on the number of eggs shoppers are allowed to purchase.

This isn’t universal, for now anyway, so let’s take a quick look at each supermarket's current policy on eggs purchase limits.

Please note that, where no restrictions apply, this doesn't mean eggs will definitely be available either online or your nearest store.

There have been many reports on social media of stores running out in recent weeks.

Asda - two-box limit

Shoppers at Asda stores are only allowed to purchase up to two boxes of eggs. Crucially, that's two boxes of any size, rather than just boxes of six.

It has added notices to stores to inform customers that the limit is in place due to low availability.

Aldi - no limit

At the time of publishing, Aldi had no restrictions on the number of eggs you could by (assuming availability).

Lidl - three-box limit

Deep discounter Lidl has put a three-box egg limit in place.

Morrisons - no limit

Morrisons has no limit on egg purchases at the time of publishing.

Sainsbury's - no limit

There are currently no egg purchase limits at Sainsbury's, although it's possible the eggs you do buy won't be from the UK.

The supermarket told food industry news site Just Food that it had reacted to shortages by turning to other markets. 

Tesco - three-box limit

Tesco is the latest supermarket to impose egg purchase rules, having previously claimed it had “good availability” of the food.

As a result, shoppers are not permitted to purchase more than three boxes of eggs in a single trip.

Why are supermarkets limiting egg purchases?

As is often the case when it comes to rationing like this, it’s all down to supply.

Essentially the supermarkets can’t get hold of enough eggs to meet the usual demand levels, and so have felt forced into introducing limits on how many we can buy.

So what’s behind that egg shortage? 

There are a couple of factors at play here, including bird flu.

The industry is facing its worst ever bout of the disease, which is leading to hens having to be put down.

For example, according to the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA), there have been culls related to bird flu of over 750,000 laying hens since the start of October.

To put that into context, bird flu-relate culls accounted for only 1.8 million hens in the whole of 2021, demonstrating that we are in the midst of a real crisis. After all, with fewer hens around, there will inevitably be fewer eggs.

The issue goes further than bird flu alone, however ‒ there is also a row around costs.

The extraordinary situation with inflation, which is currently at its highest level in over four decades, is having a knock on effect on poultry farmers. BFREPA reckons that the cost of hen food has increased by around 50% following the invasion of Ukraine, while the related fuel bills have rocketed significantly too.

This increase in costs hasn’t been matched by an increase in payments from the retailers, however, which has reportedly led to farmers either shrinking production or leaving the industry entirely.

The trade body has warned that shortages are likely to last until after Christmas, so be prepared for supermarket limits to last for a while, and potentially for other supermarkets to introduce their own limits on the purchase of eggs.