It comes after staff at a Dunedin Four Square stopped about 20 crew members from buying the store’s entire egg supply.
Lyttelton Supervalue owner Rob De Thier said the supermarket had also been approached by cruise ship operators wanting eggs.
“I am able to help with one dozen, just like everyone else gets,” De Thier said.
“I have to look after the customers who shop with us regularly.”
A nationwide shortage of eggs has impacted supermarkets across New Zealand, leading to rationing and bare shelves.
De Thier said he ordered more than 450 dozen eggs last week - but received just 72.
“They were gone in less than two days. We are in dire straits at the moment.”
De Thier said he knows of one supermarket owner who offered to drive six hours to pick up some eggs from a South Island supplier - only to be told: “You can drive here if you like, but we can’t give you any eggs.”
Lyttelton-based company Independent Provedoring supplies eggs to cruise ships and fishing trawlers at the port - but only in very limited quantities because of the shortage.
“We are getting around the problem to some extent by supplying dried and frozen egg product imported from Europe,” Dormer said.
The lack of eggs is due to a shortage of laying hens after a new code of welfare system was introduced.
It caused the price of eggs to increase by about 16 per cent compared to a year ago.
On Tuesday, the cost of a dozen eggs ranged from $6.40 to $8.99 on the Lyttelton Supervalue website.
- By Tony Simons
