Before we could finish celebrating the triumph of McDonald's giving in and offering breakfast all-day, there came bleak reports about what this means for the ever-looming egg shortage.
McDonald's is the world's largest fast-food chain, which means the demand for Egg McMuffins and breakfast burritos will tack a massive amount of pressure onto an already tight supply of eggs in America. While you might not think the chain is that influential, Bloomberg reports that once McDonald's makes a menu change—even the slightest one—it has repercussions, and sends waves throughout the industry.
Once the restaurant's all-day breakfast menu kicks in next month, the egg industry is going to be hit hard. And many restaurants will suffer, especially those that have already been battling hurdles with breakfast supplies since the recent—and worst in U.S. history—avian flu outbreak occurred earlier this year.
But what exactly is going to happen? Well, prices are definitely going to jump. Last month, analysts predicted that a dozen could set you back up to $6 by the end of the year. And that was before Mickey D's decided to resurrect its customer-favorite 24/7 morning meals. So we could be looking at even more exacerbated price hikes. Plus, restaurants and retailers will have to get strategic and creative when it comes to how and where they can get their hands on eggs. It's going to be a real scramble (sorry, we had to).
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