• 🍪 Girl Scouts Cookies Tainted
• 🛗 Up Next On Elevator Talk
• 🔮 Wonder Adds Tastemade
• 🥚 Egg News From Onego Bio
• 🔥 Hot Takes From Expo West

After months of egg shortages and surging prices linked to the latest avian flu outbreak, could relief finally be coming? 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said no significant avian flu outbreaks have been detected in nearly two weeks, per an Egg Markets Overview last week. The respite has allowed producers to make progress in reducing shell egg shortages. 

• The wholesale price of large cartoned shell eggs delivered to retailers dropped by $1.35 to $7.18 per dozen during the period, per the New York market for formula trading.
• Relief is also coming from imports. In January, the agency reported a 91% increase in shell eggs from Mexico and Turkey (827,000 dozen) to help ease supply strains.

Shoppers, however, are still feeling the squeeze. Though shell egg offerings in the dairy case are becoming more reliable, retail price levels have yet to adjust and remain off-putting to many, per the USDA’s report. 

• Egg prices were up 10.4% year-over-year in February compared to 15.2% in January, according to the latest CPI data.

This is all playing out as a major egg-purchasing holiday is approaching: Easter (which will be observed late this year on April 20). The USDA believes the market could feasibly adjust prices down to “a more acceptable level” ahead of the holiday demand; if not, the industry risks dampening demand altogether. However, the American Egg Board feels differently:

“Supply and demand continue to drive wholesale prices for eggs, and as the Easter holiday approaches, increasing demand may cause a second, temporary increase in prices,” American Egg Board president and CEO Emily Metz said in a statement. 

The update comes as the Department of Justice (DOJ) began an investigation into whether surging egg prices have been, in part, caused by large producers conspiring to raise prices or hold back supply. The USDA is also taking aim in its own way – via a $1 billion, five-pronged strategy to curb the spread of avian flu, protect the U.S. supply chain and reduce egg prices. 

But either way, we’d be remiss to not acknowledge another abnormality in the egg arena. Last week’s Natural Products Expo West brought a surprising amount of new, high-protein breakfast innovations to the table, many of which featured eggs as the hero ingredient. 

From Incredifulls’ new egg bite brioche-wrapped cupcakes to Blue Hour’s dehydrated scrambled eggs on-the-go, eggs were everywhere. They were also spotted as the hero in Egglife’s new protein wraps and pasta products in addition to snacks such as Todd’s Better Snacks’ egg white-based protein puffs. 

Did you notice an unanticipated amount of egg-based products at the show? What is your company watching amid this latest supply chain crisis? Let us know at sgolden@bevnet.com.

In The Meantime: Catch up on the growing momentum around plant-based egg alternatives.

Cookies sold by the Girl Scouts of the USA are tainted with heavy metals and pesticides, alleges a proposed class action lawsuit filed in New York Monday, Law360 reported. 

🧪 The suit also names Girl Scouts Cookies bakers Ferrero U.S.A. and Interbake Foods as defendants and cites independent testing on 11 cookie types that detected aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and glyphosate.

👎 The Girl Scouts should have conducted a full recall after learning of the contamination, the complaint argues, rather than releasing a statement asserting its cookies are safe to consume.

The latest episode of Elevator Talk features leaders from Big Mama’s Backyard Garden, Cob, Tierra Negra, La Gringuita, and Muria Foods.

Watch founders and CEOs introduce their brands and provide a recap of recent news and updates. This week’s special co-host is Amrit Richmond, the founder of Indie CPG and Supermercato, who shared her thoughts, questions and feedback with the participants.

Check out the full episode now.

We're excited to unveil Nombase, powered by BevNET—a game-changing platform designed to connect CPG professionals with industry partners, AI-driven insights, and expert-driven discussions. Whether you're searching for suppliers, staying updated on industry news, or looking for job opportunities, Nombase brings it all together in one place—free to explore.

With a comprehensive partner directory, an AI-powered search tool leveraging decades of industry reporting, a centralized Press Release Wire, and an integrated job board, Nombase is built to support food, beverage, beer, spirits, and health & beauty professionals. Plus, our community conversations continue with the newly rebranded Nombase Podcast and Nombase Slack community.

📍 Check it out now at nombase.com and start exploring

Marc Lore’s “mealtime super app” Wonder is adding media expertise to its arsenal of services. The chef-driven meal delivery and food hall business has acquired media company Tastemade in a deal valued around $90 million, per the Wall Street Journal. 

⁉️ What does Wonder want? Apparently international production capabilities, a content studio and advertising business, all of which it will assume control over as it integrates the formerly-independent media company into its folio.

📦 The acquisition feeds Wonder’s M&A streak, which saw the buyout of Blue Apron in 2023 and GrubHub in 2024.

🍽️ Wonder’s aim is to build an AI-driven app that automatically orders personalized meals for its customers… so it seems adding a company built on its short- and long-form food and cooking videos may be the first step to get a taste for consumer preferences. 

Go Deeper: Blue Apron Turns Eye to Innovation While Helping Build “Super App”

Ingredient maker Onego Bio is planning to put down roots in Jefferson County, Wis., selecting the area’s Food and Beverage Innovation Campus as the flagship manufacturing site for its egg protein powder product, Bioalbumen.

🍳 Bioalbumen is made using fermentation technology. The large-scale production facility is expected to have a capacity equivalent to 6 million laying hens and is planned to be operational in 2028.

💰 The company has raised over $70 million in funding, including $40 million in a Series A in April and an additional $15.2 million in July from the European Innovation Council Accelerator program.

✅ The Finnish-based food technology company submitted a formal GRAS notification to the FDA for its Bioalbumen product in December.

The CPG Week podcast team is still decompressing from the Natural Products Expo West show last week. In between breaking news items, reporter’s notebook dumps and new product galleries, the crew carved out some time to chat about what stuck out as they scoured for samples on the show floor. 

From bubbling trends to maturing categories, the podcast hosts discuss protein popping up in every product type, meat snack mania, a simmering distaste for seed oils, next-gen sodas and surprising innovations tasted within the convention halls.

Click here to listen to this week’s episode. Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Like what you are listening to? Please don’t hesitate to rate our show and leave a review on your podcast platform of choice.