Stores across the UK, and beyond, have had a shortage of eggs. (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Egg shortages caused by increased production costs

By Rebecca McCurdy, PA
10:27 - February 24, 2023

Social media posts claiming the UK’s egg shortage is because natural proteins in egg yolks offer protection against Covid-19 in humans have been circulating on social media since early February.

One post read: “You can draw your own conclusions from what I’m about to say. Scientists at ‘International Immunopharmacology’ have discovered that egg yolks can significantly increase the immunity against Coronavirus.”

Another post said: “So EGGS prevent COVID. Do you see it yet?”, while another read: “See why they try to demonise eggs”.

Evaluation: False

The claims misinterpret the findings of two studies into eggs and Covid-19. Researchers involved in a 2022 study relied upon by these claims told the PA news agency the antibodies against Covid-19 are not natural in eggs laid by hens.

The studies do not suggest the antibodies from the egg yolks are being used in humans to protect against Covid-19, and even suggest more investigation is needed into how it responds to humans.

A combination of increased production costs and the bird flu outbreak are behind the egg shortages, the report author and experts at the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) said.

The facts

The 2022 study

The claims refer to a 2022 study published in the Viruses journal which saw hens “hyperimmunised” by being vaccinated with SARS-CoV-2 – better known as coronavirus – proteins before obtaining antibodies known as Immunoglobulin Y, or IgYs, from the eggs to neutralise the virus.

Researchers involved in the 2022 paper, titled Hyperimmunized Chickens Produce Neutralizing Antibodies against Sars-CoV-2, said they had received several queries on whether it proved a link between eggs shortages and coronavirus.

While inoculating chickens with Covid-19 protein spikes leads to antibodies which protect against the virus in egg yolks, it does not mean that eggs have an natural protection against coronavirus, and studies on how it would impact humans has not been carried out.

Dr Rodrigo Gallardo, co-author of the report and professor in poultry medicine at the University of California’s school of veterinary medicine, explained the research process.

He told PA that hens were “hyperimmunised” with Covid-19 proteins, before their eggs were collected to obtain IgYs, or antibodies.

These were then used in the laboratory to do “virus neutralisation tests” which discovered those antibodies were “capable of neutralising” the virus in vitro, or in cell form.

He said: “Even though all hens and egg yolks contain IgYs, in order to obtain those that neutralise SARS-CoV-2 you need to immunise hens with a vaccine containing the virus, proteins, subunits or mRNA from the virus.

“Not all eggs will contain these specific IgYs that neutralize SARS-CoV-2.”

The 2021 study

In the study called “Chicken Egg Yolk Antibodies (IgYs) block the binding of multiple SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variants to human ACE2”, the researchers, based at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology in Suzhou, China, immunised hens with the Covid-19 spike proteins before isolating it from the yolk to assess its efficacy as an neutraliser against the virus.

It found that the spike showed “significant neutralising potency” against the Covid-19 in cell form.

The study went on to say the method could be a “feasible tool” to prevent the spread of Covid-19, but said further work was needed to assess the effectiveness in humans.

What has caused the egg scarcity?

Dr Gallardo, co-author of the 2022 study, said the reason for egg scarcity cannot be linked to coronavirus.

“In my poultry veterinarian capacity, I can tell you that the reason why eggs are so scarce and expensive is the outbreak of avian influenza H5N1 happening all over the world right now,” he said.

More than seven million birds – mainly turkeys – have been culled in the UK since October 2021 because of the bird flu outbreak, farming minister Mark Spencer told MPs in January.

“This causes a reduction of the egg production and subsequently a rise in prices and scarcity,” he said.

Experts from the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) told us that it has been dealing with “unprecedented pressures for some time” with the most critical factor in egg shortages being increased production costs for farmers.

A spokesperson said: “With costs soaring, many egg farmers have had no choice but to cease production rather than face the risk of losing money on every egg they produce.

“This, together with the added strain of supply due to the loss of some hens because of avian influenza, had led to the current shortage of eggs on retail shelves.”

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), said: “We understand the difficulties that rising input costs for feed and energy over the last year, combined with the bird flu outbreak, are causing for farmers and we are working with industry to monitor the market.

“The UK’s food supply chain is resilient – there are 38 million laying hens across the country and we are not expecting any significant impact to the overall supply.”

The department went on to confirm that the bird flu outbreak had no connection to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Links

Claim on Facebook (archived)

Claim on Twitter (archived)

Second claim on Twitter (archived)

2022 study (archived)

2022 study author Dr Rodrigo Gallardo biography (archived)

2021 study (archived)

Farming minister Mark Spencer’s statement to MPs on the bird flu cull (archived)

British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) (archived)

Defra statement on bird flu situation (archived)

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