Response of the U.S. Egg Food System to 2022 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Outbreak

The objective of this study is to investigate the reaction of the egg food system to HPAI in the United States. Using USDA statistics and periodical publications, the course of the 2022 HPAI outbreak and how the differences from the Japanese egg food system affected shell egg price movement are examined. The main findings are as follows: 1) in-line facilities of egg products were severely hit and should be included in the shell egg market analysis. 2) extending life cycle of laying hens initially mitigated the price hike partially but later had an adverse effect on inventory.