Crackd, the No-Egg Egg, a key plant-based egg brand in the UK, will hit US shelves as demand for egg alternatives soars amid ongoing difficulties with regular egg supplies, partly due to the ongoing bird flu epidemic.

Crackd has developed plant-based eggs that do not compromise on taste and texture, and can be used for scrambled eggs, omelets, breakfast sandwiches, and baking.

Crackd will now be produced in the US and fully stocked on grocery shelves in the second quarter of 2025.

Branded the “egg crisis,” the US eggs industry has been facing continued soaring prices and disruption to the supply caused by the “crippling” avian influenza — also known as avian flu or a disease caused by the influenza A virus — which has been impacting various countries around the world for some time. 

In turn, this has also caused other egg replacement products to face supply issues as well.

“There appears no end in sight. That has driven consumers to try egg substitutes, but those have quickly flown off the shelves as well,” says Crackd. 

Volatile egg prices & disruption

According to government figures, the average price for a dozen eggs in the US has risen by more than 60% in the last year as avian flu outbreaks continue to impact the chicken population and reduce supplies.

Last month, the US government revealed that a new strain of bird flu had been detected on a duck farm in California — the first confirmed outbreak of the H5N9 strain of the virus in poultry in the US.

In addition to problems in the US egg sector, the FDA recently urged pet food manufacturers to seek ingredients from healthy flocks or herds and to take steps such as heat treatment to help “inactivate” viruses. 

The FDA also recommended implementing a supply-chain-applied control to ensure that animal food ingredients do not come from H5N1-infected animals. 

Also, last month, RaboResearch highlighted that avian influenza is among a series of factors that will threaten the worldwide animal protein industry in 2025. 

Crackd solutions will be featured at this year’s Natural Products Expo West, which will be held March 5-7 in Anaheim, California.

Jonathan Traub, president of Plant Heads, says, “Because the egg industry shortage is expected to continue at least through 2025, we think this is the perfect opportunity to provide a versatile, delicious — and available — answer for barren egg shelves and soaring prices in supermarkets.”