TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The supply of eggs is gradually returning to normal in northern Taiwan after weeks of shortage.

CNA reported that the shortage was caused by several factors. As this year’s Lunar New Year break was an especially lengthy nine days, demand increased in January as people sought to stock up on eggs. However, egg production decreased sharply due to the cold weather, the spread of  bird flu, and the rising cost of chicken feed.

The shortage reached its peak right after the break but quickly eased within a week thanks to suppliers who returned to work and provided more shipments. Most brands of eggs are now available again at supermarkets, but CNA cited major chains as saying it will take some time for them to rebuild their stocks, as eggs are still selling out fast and chicken farms need time to recover from the bird flu.

Though it may take a few months before supplies return to normal, Carrefour, A.mart, and PX Mart are reportedly getting regular shipments. Carrefour told CNA that while not all egg brands are back on its shelves yet, supply levels are good, and the company will continue to be in close contact with egg farmers to further stabilize supply.

PX Mart said it had actively tried to coordinate supplies before LNY so that consumers could all get the eggs they need. The supermarket chain urged customers not to stockpile eggs.

The shortage of fresh eggs has contributed to a boom in the cooked and processed-egg business, bolstering sales of tea eggs, CNA reported. Sales of PX Mart’s packaged tea eggs, which have always been popular, grew by 50% in the past few weeks, while convenience store chain Hi-Life reported a 20%-30% increase in sales of products such as refrigerated tea eggs, flavored soft-boiled eggs, and Japanese steamed eggs compared to 2022.