Just in Time for Pesach: Bird Flu Outbreak in Largest US Egg Producing Farm

By BoroPark24 Staff

The largest egg producer in the US had some news that couldn’t have come at a worse time for Jewish people preparing for Pesach. 

Cal-Maine Foods said in a statement that 1.6 million of their egg laying hens, 3.6% of their total flock, had to be laid down after an influenza breakout, the latest in a spike of cases across the US. The company said that there aren’t any known risks with the eggs currently on the market, but they halted ongoing production at their Texas plant.

Cal-Maine Foods stated that they are working "to secure production from other facilities" to minimize disruption to its customers.

Their announcement came a day after the Center for Disease Control announced that a person had been diagnosed with bird flu after being in contact with cows that were presumed to be infected, in what is only the second case of a person catching this version of the bird flu from a mammal. Health officials said that the risk to the public remains low. 

We can only hope that this won’t cause a spike in the price of eggs or disruption to the supply chain before Pesach.