Are farmers’ claims about their chicken feed being altered correct—and is that why egg prices have more than doubled in the past year? What about the strange timing of the egg shortage and the mysterious fires and other disasters at U.S. food processors? President Biden warned in March 2022 that food shortages were “going to be real.”
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Egg prices have more than doubled compared to what they were a year ago, with a median cost of $4.25 for a dozen.
- As of January 2023, more than 58 million birds in 47 states have been killed due to avian flu outbreaks.
- The egg shortage began amidst a series of mysterious fires and other disasters at U.S. food processors.
- Some farmers have stated chicken feed made by Purina may have been altered to contain lower amounts of protein and minerals, leaving chickens unable to lay eggs.
- A report from the Rockefeller Foundation, released in July 2020 and predicting a coming food crisis, calls for the creation of a centralized “nutrition security system.”
Many assume rising inflation is to blame, but the official narrative states avian flu, affecting up to 58 million birds, is the more likely cause.[2] Another theory has surfaced from chicken farmers who have linked problems with egg laying to a certain brand of chicken feed.[3] It’s also curious timing, as the egg shortage began amidst a series of mysterious fires and other disasters at U.S. food processors.
US Pledged to ‘Increase and Disseminate Food Shortages’
It’s relevant to note that in March 2022, President Biden openly stated food shortages are “going to be real.” [4] He also said he spoke with European allies about “how we could increase, and disseminate more rapidly food shortages.”[5] Although it’s now been largely scrubbed from the internet, the statement wasn’t corrected by the White House. It circulated on social media, prompting Facebook to immediately flag it as fake news.Whether the statement was the result of jumbling words or the revelation of something much more sinister is up for debate — as is the series of strange accidents at U.S. food processors that occurred in its wake. Here’s just a sampling:
- March 13, 2022: A Hot Pockets plant in Jonesboro, Arkansas, was shut down after a fire started inside a production line cooler.[6]
- March 16, 2022: A massive fire at a Walmart fulfillment center in Plainfield, Indiana, caused the closure of the facility. In April, the company announced it would not be reopening the facility, affecting the jobs of 1,132 employees.[7]
- March 28, 2022: A fire at Maricopa Food Pantry in Maricopa, Arizona, led to the destruction of more than 50,000 pounds of food.[8]
- March 31, 2022: Rio Fresh, an onion warehouse facility in south Texas, was damaged by a structure fire.[9]
- April 11, 2022: A fire broke out at East Conway Beef & Pork in Conway, New Hampshire, destroying the building and killing two cows.[10]
- April 13, 2022: A plane crashed into the Gem State processing facility in Heyburn, Idaho.[11]
- April 13, 2022: A four-alarm fire occurred at Taylor Farms in Salinas, California, drawing nearly 100 firefighters from 22 fire units. The facility was in the process of restarting operations after being closed for the winter.[12]
- April 18, 2022: The headquarters of Azure Standard in Dufur, Oregon, was destroyed in a fire. Azure Standard the largest independent distributor of organic and health foods in the United States[13]
- Feb. 4, 2023: A fire at Hillandale Farms in Connecticut, which is owned by one of the largest egg producers in the United States, killed an estimated 100,000 hens.[14]
Official Narrative Blames ‘Record’ Levels of Avian Flu
If you’re curious about why egg prices are rising—and egg shortages are occurring in some areas—you need look no further than the record number of chickens killed due to avian flu, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.[15]Previously, the largest avian flu outbreak recorded occurred in 2015, when 50.5 million birds in 21 states were affected. However, 2022 marked a new record for dead birds in one year, when the number hit 52.7 million.[16] By January 2023, more than 58 million birds in 47 states had been impacted by this outbreak.[17]
“I’m hopeful that this is not the new normal for us,” Richard Webby, director of the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals, told NPR.[18]
While some of the chickens died from the disease, most were culled to prevent further spread of the virus. Webby blamed the outbreak on wild birds, not those raised on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs):[19]
“We don’t know exactly what it is about it, but it does seem just to be able to grow and transmit better in wild birds. Wild birds are the perfect mechanism to spread a virus because they, of course, fly everywhere.”It does seem strange to describe wild birds as the “perfect mechanism to spread a virus,” without also pointing out that quick viral spread is virtually guaranteed on every CAFO [concentrated animal feeding operation], where birds are literally on top of each other. Still, it’s plausible that widespread avian flu could have led to chicken shortages and, therefore, egg shortages, which led to increased prices.
Anecdotal reports vary, however, about how severe egg shortages are in different areas. While some have experienced eggs disappearing from grocery store shelves, others haven’t noticed a decrease in supply at their local stores. The U.S. Department of Agriculture states that culling of chickens due to avian flu has led to a 7.5 percent drop in domestic egg supply each month since the outbreak began in 2022.[20]
Is Altered Chicken Feed to Blame?
Another theory is also circulating online—and it’s quickly been “fact-checked” and dubbed a conspiracy by the powers that be.[21] It comes straight from the farmers’ mouths, however, with many noticing their hens producing significantly fewer eggs than normal.It was suggested that chicken feed made by Purina may have been altered to contain lower amounts of protein and minerals, leaving chickens unable to lay eggs. Some farmers even stated that their hens began laying again after they switched from commercial feed to locally produced feed.
A spokesperson for Land O'Lakes, parent company of Purina Animal Nutrition, stated there have been no formulation changes to Purina chicken feed products,[22] while others have called for an investigation into what could represent a potential public health and national security crisis.
Rockefeller Foundation Predicted Food Crisis
If you gain control of the food supply, you gain control of the people. This is why any threat to food freedom and security should prompt immediate alarm and calls for the protection of localized, regenerative agriculture.It’s curious that a report from the Rockefeller Foundation, released in July 2020 and predicting a coming food crisis, hasn’t received more attention, however—especially since its solution centered on the creation of a centralized “nutrition security system.”[23]
A centralized food system benefits no one but those who control it and puts consumers at risk. Will Harris, a regenerative farming pioneer who runs White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia, explained:[24]
“... The centralization of food production impoverishes our rural communities as it creates an oligopoly. This centralization of food production is also bad for consumers. This system lacks resilience.
“When mega-production facilities that are focused on efficiency break down, consumers’ access to food can become limited, which causes panic. This state of panic allows multinational companies to increase their profits exponentially.
“When the driving goal of our food production system is efficiency, as opposed to resiliency, consumers suffer.”
Their report, “Reset the Table,”[25] was published just one month after the World Economic Forum (WEF) officially announced its plans for a “Great Reset,” and many of the contributors to the Foundation’s paper are WEF members. [26] They intend for the current food system to fall apart, so they can then “solve” the problem by introducing a new system based on patented lab-grown synthetic and genetically engineered foods, along with massive insect farms.
Who and What Else Are Angling to Control Food?
Egg prices reaching unprecedented highs presents a hardship for many working households — but is irrelevant to the likes of Bill Gates—another major player in the quest to control the food supply.Gates owns more farmland than anyone else in the U.S.[27] and was an early backer of fake foods like the Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat. [28] The acreage seems earmarked for GE corn and soy crops—the base foods for what will become an increasingly synthetic, ultra-processed food supply made up of imitation meat and dairy.
The strong recommendation to replace beef with fake meat is also made in Gates’ book,[29] a recommendation that stems from an overreaching theme of arrogance and the desire for recolonization and a global empire.
The EAT Forum, co-founded by the Wellcome Trust, also developed a Planetary Health Diet that’s designed to be applied to the global population and entails cutting meat and dairy intake by up to 90 percent, replacing it largely with foods made in laboratories, along with cereals and plant oils.[30]
In the United States, the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD), an advisory board to USAID [U.S. Agency for International Development], is also on board, calling for a global transformation of agriculture and the food supply to include, among other things, “the promotion of insects as sustainable sources of proteins.” Referring to a BIFAD working paper, Corbett explains:[31]
“USAID’s ‘leverage’ over developing countries—specifically referenced no less than 125 times —gives an insight into the Kissingerian food-as-a-weapon mentality that is the very basis of USAID and its mission. The entire enterprise reeks of a neocolonial landgrab masquerading as ‘philanthropy’—the kind of territorial taking that people in Africa and elsewhere have been warning about for decades.”
Get Prepared for Survival
It’s always best to have the resources on hand to survive, including becoming more self-sufficient in the short term. Creating alternative parallel food systems locally, outside of someone’s control builds long-term independence. Basic suggestions to build your own food security safety net include:- Secure a potable water source and the means to purify less-than-ideal water sources.
- Buy shelf-stable and nonperishable foods in bulk.
- Buy energy backups, such as gas-powered generators and/or solar generator kits like Jackery or Inergy.
- Get cooking backups such as solar cookers, small rocket stoves, propane-powered camping stoves, and 12-volt pots and pans that you can plug into a backup battery.
- Start a garden and learn some basic food production skills—in terms of fighting back against high egg prices and egg shortages, raising your own flock is by far your best option.
- Even better, consider joining a community of like-minded individuals who share your concerns about food security and have already developed the skills of growing food. You can contribute your skills to make the community even stronger.
◇ References:
[16] NPR December 2, 2022
[18] NPR December 2, 2022
[19] NPR December 2, 2022
[21] AOL February 6, 2023
[22] AOL February 6, 2023
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.
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