If you walk into Prantl’s Bakery this week, you’ll notice one item missing.
“Angel food cake is probably not the wisest thing to be making” right now, said co-owner Lara Bruhn.
That’s because the price of eggs has tripled over the past 1½ months due to the avian flu, and angel food cake, with its airy texture, requires a good dozen egg whites.
Since December 2014, when the USDA announced the presence of the disease in commercial flocks in the U.S., the flu has decimated the country’s poultry supply. USDA officials said that roughly 47 million birds have died of the illness or been killed to prevent its spread, and bakers like Ms. Bruhn are feeling the impact.
Although avian flu is not yet a problem in Pennsylvania’s poultry industry, a panel of experts told state legislators on Wednesday that Pennsylvania farmers may soon face the same crisis as farmers in Iowa, who have been hit hard by the disease. The outbreak, experts said, is moving closer and closer to the state, and could deal a massive blow to its poultry farms, which account for $13 billion of the overall state economy. The spread of the avian flu is being blamed primarily on migrating wild birds.
The prices and availability have gotten so bad, Ms. Bruhn said, that certain wholesalers are rationing eggs. At Restaurant Depot, a kind of “Costco for restaurants” in the Strip District, members are now allowed only five cases a day, or 25 dozen eggs.
Three hundred eggs a day may sound like plenty to the average consumer, but for places like Prantl’s — which has locations in Shadyside and Market Square — and Bethel Bakery, it’s not nearly enough.
“We go through 30 buckets a week, or close to 850 pounds of eggs,” said Bethel Bakery owner John Walsh. Each bucket has gone up $50. “It adds up really fast.”
Bethel Bakery saw the price hike coming and stocked up on eggs, but it’s having a hard time keeping up. It hasn’t raised prices for customers yet, but it’s devising a plan in case it has to.
And pricing and rationing aren’t the only issues. Some food service providers are declaring force majeure, commonly called an “act of God,” making their contracts null and void.
Dawn Foods is one of those providers. Based in Jackson, Mich., it supplies bakeries in Pennsylvania, including Bethel Bakery, which is in Bethel Park. While the company’s six-month contracts promise bakeries it will deliver a certain number of eggs at a certain price for that time period, it hasn’t been able to follow through, said Mike Dunn, sales representative for Ohio and Pennsylvania. They used to receive and deliver roughly 10 truckloads of eggs a week before the outbreak; that number has dropped to two. The company has stopped accepting new customers for eggs.
Still, not all sweets makers are seeing a jump in prices. At least not yet.
“We haven’t seen any increases, but I’m sure we will,” said Jim Lazeration, fine pastries manager of the Priory on the North Side. Looking down at the invoice from the eggs he received that day, he said there was a slight rise, but nothing like what Ms. Bruhn and Mr. Walsh have experienced.
The difference in impact may come down to where the eggs are purchased, said Chad Townsend, owner of Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream, based in North Point Breeze. His company purchases from farmers in Pennsylvania and some just over the state’s border, where the flu has had less of an impact than in the Midwest. That’s a good thing since his ice cream requires several dozen eggs for every 2-gallon batch.
It’s not clear when the outbreak will subside, but U.S. officials estimate that its effects could ripple on for another one to two years. Right now, Bethel Bakery’s Mr. Walsh said he’s biding his time and waiting to see how everything shakes out.
And if customers are concerned about missing out on Prantl’s famous burnt almond torte, no need to worry, Ms. Bruhn said.
“If worse comes to worst, we’ll make nothing but torte.”
Hannah Schwarz: hschwarz@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3772.
First Published: June 11, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
