Egg shelves in stores have recently been emptier than normal.
There is a shortage of eggs on the shelf of K-Supermarket in Uusmaa. Photo taken on Thursday 19 March 2026. Eeva Paljakka
Have you come across this view on the store’s egg shelf? The shelves gape into emptiness. Only some cells are still left.
Kesko’s purchasing and sales manager Laura Koponen confirms that the availability of eggs has been intermittently scarce since the beginning of the year.
The same is stated by the sales manager of S Group’s convenience store Juhani Haara.
– At the moment, there are national availability challenges for eggs, but we constantly deliver them to stores and strive to ensure the best possible availability, Haara assures.
What causes the egg shortage?
According to Haara and Koposen, the gaping empty shelves are the result of several things. The background is, among other things, the increased consumption of eggs.
The demand for eggs has been growing for a long time both in Finland and in Europe.
According to Koponen, the demand for eggs has been growing steadily for a longer time.
– One of the reasons for the increase in demand is probably that for many, eggs are an affordable source of protein, Koponen thinks.
Haara reminds that the demand for eggs typically increases towards spring and Easter, and this can be reflected in momentary availability fluctuations, especially in the most popular products and package sizes.
Yesterday, Thursday, there was a grim sight on the egg shelf in the S-group store in the center of Helsinki. Edith Andersson
– This is a recurring, seasonal phenomenon in chicken eggs, Haara says.
The third reason for the poor egg situation is the annual change of chickens on Finnish farms.
– Canaries are changed every 1-1.5 years. The replacement of several producer premises is now timed at the same moment, says Koponen.
At Kesko, there are availability challenges for both free-range eggs and organic eggs. Kesko is reminded that availability challenges do not affect all suppliers for all varieties.
In the S group’s stores, the availability challenges and the increase in demand are reflected in the entire product group.
– Eggs are delivered to our stores every day, but there may be shortages in the daily delivery quantities from time to time. However, we expect availability to improve day by day, says Haara.
Eggs are delivered to Kesko’s stores daily, but there may be shortages in the delivery quantities from time to time.
– However, we expect availability to improve day by day, Koponen predicts.