BusinessDay reports that since the outbreak of avian influenza‚ egg prices in Western Cape have risen‚ as more than 3-million birds have been infected nationwide. This affects just about every industry that uses eggs.

The price of the city’s most famous brownies — from the award-winning Brownies and Downies restaurant‚ which serves as a training centre for people with intellectual disabilities — has risen from R25 to R28 each.

Restaurant manager Wayne Schultz said they were left with no choice: "We can still acquire eggs‚ but it is more difficult."

When asked how tourism could be affected‚ Jeff Rosenberg‚ spokesperson for the Federated Hospitality Association of SA‚ said: "Restaurants and hotels are concerned about the chicken and egg shortage, but this doesn’t mean our members will not be able to provide customers with what they require."

"We continue to weigh up our options‚ which, at this stage, include importing chickens to meet the demand. Unfortunately‚ the same cannot be said about eggs — they cannot be imported‚ due to the short lifespan, he said.

"Although we know eggs are still available‚ you have to search far and wide to secure supply — and at this stage the demand exceeds the supply."

Tourism MEC Alan Winde has been working closely with farms‚ economists and scientists to study the outbreak’s impact‚ and believes it will be small, rural communities‚ not tourist hubs like Cape Town‚ that will be most affected by the egg shortage, although the Western Cape being affected the worst.

An ongoing investigation into solutions for the outbreak is expected to be completed in less than a month‚ Winde added. This will guide local government in further action against the outbreak. Until then‚ local restaurants and business are trying to keep things sunny-side up.