Egg production could take two years to return to normal

It could take up to two years for egg production to return to normal, officials told The Associated Press on Sunday. Prices started to fall this last week, but after a bird flu virus created an egg shortage, there will be no easy answers for restaurants, many of which have jacked up the prices of egg dishes or eliminated them entirely.

"The best-case scenario, we're talking about a year before the availability is more robust," American Egg Board senior vice president John Howeth told AP.

At the height of the crisis, the cost of one dozen large eggs was up 120 percent from its pre-flu price. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has forecasted a 5.3 percent drop in egg production this year.

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