Importing Eggs

[Anchor Lead]

Eggs imported from the United States are now available at Korean stores. Retailers are bringing them in to make up for egg shortages caused by the nation’s worst epidemic of avian influenza.

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White American eggs are displayed in Korean supermarkets. A tray of 30 eggs costs about 85 cents less than the same amount of Korean eggs. The imported eggs arouse curiosity in Korean consumers who have never seen them before.

[Soundbite] Lim Kyung-ja(Homemaker) : "I think it's okay to try American eggs. It doesn't take long to transport them to Korea by air."

Some consumers have doubts about the freshness and taste of the imported eggs, which might have been compromised during the long transportation.

[Soundbite] Ryu Hyo-jung(Homemaker) : "They are a bit bland. Korean eggs taste more savory."

The American eggs are also smaller in size than Korean eggs, and the price difference is not big enough to make consumers buy them.

[Soundbite] Kim Mi-hyang(Homemaker) : "The price difference is not that big, which is probably because they've been brought from afar. I would buy them if they cost less than six dollars."

Large supermarket chains began selling American eggs on Monday for around seven dollars and 20 cents per tray. The government hopes that the sale of American eggs will stop egg prices from soaring further, although they are unlikely to profoundly change the way Koreans consume eggs.