Bare Shelves and Empty Boxes: But Where Have the Eggs Gone in French Supermarkets?

Supermarket shelves are empty of eggs at the start of 2026. A situation which is not new, but which has gotten worse recently.

Many French people complained when they arrived at their store to do their shopping at the start of January 2026. Not because there was too much waiting at the checkout, or because their cart was squealing, but because they couldn’t find everything they were looking for.

One product in particular is clearly missing… And this has been happening for many months now: eggs. Several factors explain this lack, which is “not a shortage”, in the words of Alice Richard, director of the National Committee for the Promotion of Eggs (CNPO),

The weather to explain the recent sparse rays

If eggs have recently been talked about, it is because until now, we could still find them despite the difficulties encountered by the sector. But during the first week of January 2026, downpours fell over a good part of France. Snow which then gave birth to thick ice, making deliveries very difficult.

“There may be a few holes in the shelves, a few beaded breaks, but there is nothing abnormal. It would be disproportionate to talk about a shortage. Everything is back to normal with the resumption of deliveries”, still wants to reassure Cooperative U, contacted by news.fr for a more global article on shortages on the shelves.

But also a new attraction for eggs…

If these holes in the displays bother the French so much, it’s because they are fond of eggs. Sales have jumped by “nearly 4% over the past two years”, estimated Alice Richard of the CNPO last March.

In fact, with the explosion in meat prices and the rise of meat-free diets in particular, eggs, “the reference protein”, according to Alexandra Retion, dietician and nutritionist in Paris, questioned by news.fr for an article questioning the nutritional qualities of this food, have become very fashionable.

“Demand is increasing and supply cannot keep up”, summarizes cooperative U.

…and a desire to do well

Finally, the poultry industry has, in recent months, been facing profound changes in its operating methods. “The sector has set itself the objective of reaching 90% of laying hens raised in alternative cage systems”, says Alice Richard.

This planned reduction in cage farming to switch to alternative farming methods requires investments, the construction of new buildings and slows down the speed of response to growth in demand.
Alice Richard – Director of the CNPO

Also, this is not a shortage, as we can sometimes read or hear, but rather a slowdown in supply. The difficulties are temporary, and should fade as the year progresses.