Rising consumer interest in healthy eating and animal welfare is beginning to scramble the US egg business.

The price of egg whites has nearly tripled to record levels since early 2013 following moves by McDonald’s and other fast-food giants to introduce egg-white menu items to appeal to cholesterol-focused customers.

Meanwhile, egg producers are spending millions of dollars to add more hens for producing organic and cage-free eggs. A catalyst behind that is a California law that takes effect in 2015 that aims to address inhumane conditions for the birds.

The shifts are the latest sign of the rising interest in the United States towards healthier and organic foods, evident in supermarkets and restaurants, including an initiative by leading retailer Wal-Mart to sell discounted organic foods in US stores.

Yet food experts say the trends should not be exaggerated, noting, for example, that industrial eggs remain the norm.

The organic chicken flock, which is by definition also cage-free, stood at five percent of the US market as of August 2013, while the total cage-free flock was 8.1 percent, according to the American Egg Board, a trade group.

The organic and cage-free markets “have plenty of room to grow, but as long as these eggs cost more — […]