Where to find cheaper eggs as 'golden egg' era drags on

Imported eggs, discounted products sell out fast at hypermarkets; e-commerce exclusive deals, promotions also flying off shelves

At a hypermarket in Seoul visited around 4 p.m. Monday, eggs eligible for a government discount had already sold out. Only 30-egg trays priced at 11,980 won ($8) were left stacked on the shelf. Some shoppers turned away after seeing the price.

Finding affordable eggs has become a new challenge for consumers, as avian influenza continues to keep prices in the 7,000-won range — a phenomenon Koreans have dubbed the "golden egg" era.

Egg prices remain elevated. According to distribution data from the Korea Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation, the national average retail price for a 30-egg tray of premium-grade eggs this month stands at 7,467 won, up 6.5 percent from the same month last year. A 10-egg tray of the same grade costs 5,222 won, up 38.6 percent — the first time the price has exceeded 5,000 won.

Imported eggs sold at hypermarkets are emerging as the top option for budget-conscious shoppers. Lotte Mart began selling 30-egg trays for 5,790 won at 106 stores nationwide Monday, with 9,000 trays available. E-mart plans to offer US-origin eggs starting Wednesday and will add US- and Thailand-origin eggs from Saturday.

Eggs priced in the 5,000-won range have triggered "open-run" rushes. US-origin eggs that E-mart put on sale at stores nationwide Saturday sold out entirely by around 6 p.m. that day. The retailer had prepared 20,000 trays at 5,880 won each, limiting purchases to one tray per customer, but the entire stock was gone. Lotte Mart also sold 7,000 trays of US-origin eggs at 5,790 won across 40 stores starting Saturday, with 97 percent of the supply sold over the weekend.

Only 11,980-won egg trays remain at a hypermarket in Seoul. (Park Yeon-su / The Korea Herald)

With demand for imported eggs surging, the government has stepped in to secure additional supply. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to import 21 million fresh eggs from the United States, Thailand and other countries through next month — equivalent to 36 percent of this year's projected supply shortfall. From January through now, the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp. has distributed a total of about 10.11 million imported fresh eggs, comprising about 6.74 million US-origin eggs and about 3.37 million Thailand-origin eggs.

Eggs in the 6,000-won range are also available, though they too are selling out quickly. E-mart is offering its "Emat-ran" premium-grade 30-egg tray at 6,284 won as part of a promotional event. Lotte Mart is selling its "Haengbok Saengsaengran" domestic premium 30-egg tray to L.Point members at 6,392 won through Wednesday. Coupang Inc.'s exclusive antibiotic-free "Sinseon Daeran" (1.56 kg, 30 eggs), priced at 7,990 won per tray, has been selling out the same day it arrives in stock since last weekend.

Kurly drew consumers with a live-commerce discount event. On June 17, the platform broadcast a live shopping show offering domestic eggs at up to 40 percent off. Over the 90-minute broadcast, a total of 26,000 egg units — roughly 576,300 individual eggs — were sold, about 6,400 eggs per minute, exceeding the original sales target by 30 percent.

An official at the Agricultural Outlook Center of the Korea Rural Economic Institute said the supply situation is expected to gradually improve as laying hens restocked after the avian influenza outbreak begin producing eggs in earnest from July. "However, high summer temperatures can reduce laying hen productivity, so farm management will be critical," the official added.

“우와~” 환호 터진 과자탑…이마트 골라담기 또 터졌다 [르포]

이마트는 지난 2월 8년 만에 부활시킨 ‘무한 골라담기’ 행사가 인스타그램과 유튜브에서 인스타그램에 과자와 하림 더미식 즉석밥을 최대한 많이 쌓아 담는 방식으로 인

https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10783670

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