Eggs can be eaten in many different forms: scrambled, poached, fried, boiled or in omelets, soufflés, custards or meringues. But one way that food safety experts say they shouldn’t be consumed is raw.

Some grocery store shelves have been without eggs in recent weeks. What is causing the shortage, and when will it ease?

Photos of bare grocery refrigerator cases and tales of egg prices gone wild have been rampant on social media this winter. The scenes aren’t manufactured drama. The U.S. Department of Agriculture noted last week that some grocery stores have been limiting the number of cartons customers can buy and hanging signs announcing shortages where cartons of eggs would normally be stacked.