The invisible hand of the market has proven powerless.
Recently, there has been a shortage of chicken eggs on the shelves of grocery stores across the country. Demand for eggs has increased, but supply has not kept up.
In S-group stores, sales at the beginning of 2026 were a couple of percent higher than in the same period a year earlier. Last year, sales growth reached about 5 percent.
A similar trend is observed in K-group stores.
Additionally, at poultry farms, there was a replacement of the chicken population at the beginning of the year, which partially slowed down production.
— When chickens are replaced, they initially lay smaller eggs. Customers prefer larger eggs in categories M and L, which were not always available at the beginning of the year, — says Laura Koponen, head of purchasing and sales at Kesko.
The popularity of chicken eggs has also increased in other European countries.
— Chicken eggs have become a trend on social media, which is especially noticeable in the shopping baskets of young people. In the current economic situation, Finnish consumers are also looking for cheaper sources of protein, — notes Juhani Haara, head of retail sales at SOK.
According to Haara, the shortage will persist in the near future. However, eggs are available for sale.
— The situation with fresh products is constantly changing, so I cannot say for sure when the situation will improve.
