Pity the poor when comfortable moralists discover a new virtue. Consider chickens.

For most people, eggs are a great and affordable source of nutrition. The Mayo Clinic Health System summarizes the egg as follows:

“One egg contains roughly 75 calories, 5 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, 0 carbohydrates, 67 milligrams of potassium, 70 grams of sodium and 210 milligrams of cholesterol. Eggs are also a great source of vitamins A, D and B12, as well as choline, which is a nutrient that’s essential in many steps of metabolism … “

The University of Colorado Health’s publication “Today” suggests eggs are a good choice among most cardiac patients.

“Don’t let the bad press worry you,” says Jenifer Bowman, a UCHealth cardiac dietician who works with patients in cardiology clinics and hospitals throughout Colorado.

“They’re a very low fat, low calorie, nutrition-rich choice. I tell my cardiac patients that they can have as many eggs as they want within the context of a balanced meal.”

Healthline calls eggs “nature’s multivitamin” and “the healthiest food on the planet … loaded with vitamins, minerals, high-quality protein, good fats and various other lesser-known nutrients.”

In a perfect world, chickens would safely roam our cities and streets and leave perfect food for all to enjoy at no personal cost. They would eliminate malnutrition. In the real world, obtaining this perfect food becomes more difficult as costs of everything rise.

Colorado-based Natural Grocers uses low-priced, free-range eggs as an advertising staple. For years, the chain’s billboards promised a dozen eggs for $1.99. Overnight in July, the price increased by 30% to $2.99. It was strictly because the overhead on egg production and distribution increased.

A look at the egg sections of several grocery giants this week reveals scant selections of eggs. The healthiest and most desirable eggs — those certified as “pasture raised” — were selling for nearly $10 a dozen. Many consumers of specialty eggs don’t bother to look at the price. Others can’t afford a dozen of the lowest-priced eggs as they approach $4.

As with any commodity, we can blame eggflation on multiple human-caused factors. High gasoline prices, exacerbated by obstacles to domestic production, increase the cost of getting eggs to market. High energy prices lead to costlier chicken feed.

Higher prices at the store demand wage increases for consumers. A labor shortage, related directly to rising and sustained federal and state income assistance, raises the cost of farm labor. Adding to all of this, the recent bird flu left Colorado farmers with a loss of 85% of egg-laying hens.

Shortly after Christmas, this problem will get worse for a reason caused by confused but well-intentioned legislators and Gov. Jared Polis. In 2020, legislators enacted House Bill 20-1342 to improve the comfort level of chickens. When the bill kicks in on Jan. 1 — in less than three weeks — all hens will live in “a cage-free housing system.”

All consumers want humane treatment and maximized comfort for the animals that provide their food. All consumers want a lot that costs too much, such as transportation and home heat that will somehow cause “zero emissions.”

Pursuing these goals with costly and sudden mandates remains a luxury of those who suffer the least — such as those who buy only free-range or pasture-raised eggs.

In a world of rich and poor and all in between — the real world — we need high-end pricey food, low-cost food and options that split the difference. Eggs are a staple of the human diet.

The mandates taking hold Jan. 1 will limit the poor to high-priced eggs only the wealthy can easily afford. Like emotion-based manipulations of the market, this will bolster the egos of social activists with deep concerns for the welfare of chickens. To pay for this high virtue, poor humans will live without eggs.

“Our similarities bring us to a common ground; our differences allow us to be fascinated by each other.”

— Tom Robbins, American novelist