Why France’s Egg Shortage Could Boost Plant-Based Alternatives: Insights for Asian Markets

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[RealFood = Reporter Yuk Seong-yeon] France is facing an unstable egg supply, with some major retailers occasionally running completely out of eggs.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation’s (aT) export information service KATI, local media report that egg sections in supermarkets and hypermarkets across Paris and its metro area have often been empty as supply struggles to meet demand.

This shortage has been ongoing since the second half of last year. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reported that between Sept. 6 and Nov. 14 last year, authorities detected 1,443 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) in wild birds across 26 European countries. That’s about four times the number recorded in the same period the previous year and the highest level since 2016.

France, along with Germany and Austria, is one of the few EU countries that bans the mass culling of male chicks. Public consensus and consumer awareness around animal welfare are strong in France; in November 2025 it even pushed a bill to the European Commission proposing a full ban on cage rearing of laying hens across the EU.

An aT official noted that Europe is relatively open to plant-based alternative proteins, and the recent egg shortages could accelerate the search for substitute ingredients. The official advised processed-food companies planning to enter the European market to strategically consider B2B ingredient opportunities—egg-replacing functional materials like soy protein or insect protein, for example.