Egg shortage forces JDW to change menus
The pub chain is replacing eggs with hash browns, onion rings and sausages as skyrocketing production costs and bird flu leave the UK short.
A JDW spokesperson said: “We can confirm that there are temporary issues with egg supplies at some Wetherspoon pubs, due to the current national shortage of eggs.
“We are experiencing issues in receiving all the supplies we require to satisfy demand in every pub.
“This is not specific to Wetherspoon and other hospitality operators and supermarkets are facing similar issues.
“At the pubs concerned, customers are being offered alternative items, for example, hash brown, sausage or onion rings where eggs are unavailable.
“We apologise to customers for any inconvenience.”
Bird flu issues
Bird flu is causing other issues for hospitality operators. Turkeys are expected to soar in price after farmers cull livestock and freeze birds for the festive season.
Farmers have culled 3.5m birds this year – nearly a third of the country’s production – and have been ordered to keep flocks on lockdown to prevent outbreaks, reported The MailOnline.
From 7 November, birdkeepers must keep flocks housed 'until further notice', the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has ruled.
Poultry prices
Buying specialist Lynx Purchasing managing director Rachel Dobson said: “Poultry producers are dealing with the impact of avian flu on top of other issues such as the labour shortage, increased transport costs and, in particular, very high costs for feed, as a result of the continuing tragic events in Ukraine. Some suppliers are preparing and freezing uninfected turkeys now to avoid having to cull flocks closer to Christmas if avian flu continues to spread.
“Operators have already seen sharp increases in all poultry prices this year and should expect to have to pay a premium price in the run up to Christmas. Turkey, which sees an annual spike in demand, is expected to be particularly impacted, but alternatives such as duck or goose face the same problems."
