As egg prices soar and shortages occur in the United States, “egg smuggling” is increasing rapidly in some southern regions bordering Mexico.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 16th that as egg prices soared in the U.S., travelers have been stocking up on cheaper products in Mexico, which is only one-third of the U.S., and that the number of illegal imports of eggs from Mexico has increased. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) California San Diego office said that the number of eggs seized from Mexican arrivals increased by 158 percent year-on-year from October last year to the end of last month. At the CBP office in Laredo, a city near the southern Texas border, the number of cases of egg smuggling increased by 54 percent during the same period, and 36 percent across the U.S. The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits the import of eggs that are not through official import channels for quarantine reasons.
Over the past three years, the U.S. has seen its egg supply shrink significantly as approximately 166 million hens have been culled due to the nationwide outbreak of avian influenza. Also, the price of eggs has skyrocketed. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s consumer price statistics, the average retail price of a 12-piece Grade A large egg in the U.S. reached 5.90 dollars last month, up 59 percent year-on-year. Some retail stores in large cities often exceed 10 dollars. According to the WSJ, however, the same product costs less than 2 dollars in Mexico, and up to 2.3 dollars in some U.S. border cities. As the “gold price” phenomenon continues, memes are also spreading on social media to deliver egg packages to lovers as anniversary gifts or marriage proposals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced last month that it would invest up to 1 billion dollars to resolve the egg price issue.
JENNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
