ALAMEDA, Calif. (KRON) — Do high egg prices and empty shelves have you scrambling to find your omelet ingredients?

With the price of eggs still on the rise, it seems people are reaching for a cheaper alternative: plant-based options.

Andrew Noyes, head of global communications and public affairs for Alameda-based plant-based egg company JUST Egg, said their sales have been higher than ever.

Found on grocery store shelves and restaurant menus, plant-based alternatives are becoming increasingly prominent. But Noyes said the plant-based egg market is one of the fastest-growing categories in the plant-based food space.

The latest data shows the price of eggs has risen 59 percent year over year as of December 2022 due to both inflation and an avian flu outbreak. The national average of a dozen eggs has reached about $3.59, but there have been reports in the Bay Area of a dozen eggs reaching as high as $8.99. This compares with plant-based options like JUST Egg which costs about $4.30 for the equivalent of eight hen’s eggs, Noyes said.

The avian flu to blame for the shortage hit 43 million egg-laying birds across the country.

“Unlike birds, plants can’t get the flu,” Noyes told KRON4.

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The World Health Organization said it is working with partners to develop a vaccine, but in the meantime, those yearning for a protein-packed breakfast can either jump over to plant-based eggs or start a chicken coop in their backyards.