According to a September 10th USDA-AMS press release, the Agricultural Marketing Service purchased 46 million pounds of egg products and 27 million pounds of shell eggs in fiscal 2020. A total of 73.6 million pounds represented more than double the fiscal 2019 combined purchase of 35.6 million pounds.
Based on the needs of the underprivileged, AMS purchased frozen whole egg in 2-pound packages to be used for poverty relief through Emergency Food Assistant Programs. The proportions run counter to normal years when AMS acquires predominantly egg products. During fiscal 2020, the volume of shell eggs purchased tripled and the volume of egg products doubled.