Plant-Based Eggs: A Critical Solution to Rising Egg Prices and Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

The recent surge in egg prices – with costs rising 237% from $1.47 in January 2021 to $4.95 last month – has prompted national attention, including a newly announced $1 billion USDA initiative to address avian flu impacts. While these immediate interventions may provide some short-term relief, the recurring challenges in our egg supply chain point to the need for more fundamental changes to create a truly resilient food system.

This avian flu outbreak is the latest chapter that lays bare major vulnerabilities in our nation's protein supply chains. Despite enhanced biosecurity measures, our food system and supply remains susceptible to devastating disease outbreaks creating a perfect storm for price volatility that impacts American consumers. According to the USDA, egg prices will increase 41.4% this year.

Plant-based eggs are a viable option for consumers, with a significantly lower environmental footprint and reduction in zoonotic disease transmission, and add much-needed variety and resilience for the food system. With investment and support, this growing category can help stabilize prices and provide consumers with reliable, affordable options – while creating new opportunities across the agricultural sector.

Opportunities in Plant-Based Eggs

The growing plant-based egg market, valued at $43 million in 2023 U.S. retail sales, represents a critical building block to a safer, more robust food system. The plant-based egg market also demonstrates the innovation potential of our industry with manufacturers developing specialized solutions for different culinary applications and eating occasions – from easy to make scrambles to baking solutions to protein-enriched beverages. These innovations utilize diverse ingredients like mung beans, yellow peas, and chickpeas, each optimized for specific uses while offering unique nutritional and functional benefits.

Moreover, plant-based eggs have the potential to create new opportunities for American farmers through crop diversification. For example, mung beans are a drought tolerant, nitrogen fixing legume that have a similar growing season to soybeans (which many farmers are already growing). There is a current National Institute of Food and Agriculture-funded collaboration between Iowa State University and other partners focused on developing specialized mung bean varieties specifically for plant-based foods. This illustrates the potential to expand U.S. production of these high-value crops while creating new market opportunities for American farmers. At the moment, many plant-based egg manufacturers rely on importing mung bean for their supply. Opportunities to bolster domestic production and infrastructure would not only result in growing economic opportunity in the agricultural sector but potentially increase nutrition security and lower the chance of price fluctuations.

Plant-Based Options Meet American’s Dietary Needs and Nutrition

The expansion of plant-based egg products is also vital for many American families. Nearly two percent of children, approximately 1.5 million kids in the U.S., have egg allergies and require safe alternatives. From a nutrition standpoint, plant-based eggs provide protein and nutrients such as fiber while helping to meet various dietary needs and preferences.

Policy Support to Diversify Agriculture and Grow Plant-Based Market

Plant-based eggs are just one example of the potential long-lasting economic impact throughout the agricultural sector that could result from increasing crop diversity and developing new markets. By supporting farmers transitioning to high-value crops for plant-based products, we can help build robust distribution networks that benefit rural communities. This transition creates new manufacturing jobs in food innovation and develops market opportunities for American-grown crops like mung beans, chickpeas, and other protein-rich plants.

Through our work, PBFA and PBFI are actively advocating for policy measures that support research and development in plant-based food, ensure fair market competition, create incentives for agricultural diversification, and expand consumer access to affordable food options. These initiatives are crucial for building a more resilient food system that serves all Americans.

"Plant-based eggs, and the plant-based industry overall, provide an opportunity to increase U.S. food security and add much-needed diversity and resilience to our food system," said Rachel Dreskin, PBFA and PBFI’s CEO. "When consumers have more choices, market competition increases, prices stabilize, and everyone benefits – from farmers to everyday consumers."

By embracing plant-based foods and building support across food supply networks, we can influence the development of a food system that's more stable, more accessible, and better equipped to meet the diverse needs of American consumers.