Rami Levy, who controls the eponymous supermarket chain, said his stores have received only half the number of eggs they ordered in the last few days. He added that Tnuva, a major dairy provider and the country’s leading egg wholesaler, told him the problem should be solved soon.

According to Haaretz, Super-Sol, another major supermarket chain, claimed the shortage is nationwide but is only affecting regular price-controlled eggs. Supplies of pricier free-range eggs, it said, remain unchanged.

Some industry sources attributed the shortage to an outbreak of seasonal diseases among chickens while others blamed it on Yossi Eggs, a distributor whose license was suspended after it was to found to be smuggling eggs from the West Bank. Yossi provided 8 per cent of Israel’s supply.