Commissary officials are warning customers in South Korea, mainland Japan and Okinawa that they'll see shortages of some poultry products after those countries issued embargoes because of an outbreak of avian flu in the U.S.

This news comes as customers have already seen some product shortages because of shipping delays related to a U.S. West Coast port slowdown.

Shipments to Japan and South Korea of chicken, turkey, eggs and products that contain those ingredients are affected, among them pot pies, lunch meat, hot dogs, meal entrees and egg rolls.

Defense Commissary Agency officials acknowledge that they do not know how long the embargoes will last and are looking for other solutions. For example, they've identified local suppliers of fresh chicken and eggs in Japan and South Korea to help stock the shelves in commissaries in those countries.

But customers will have to pay more because local chicken is more expensive in those countries than chicken from the U.S. In South Korea, chicken prices are up to 150 percent higher than normal commissary prices, DeCA spokesman Kevin Robinson said.

Meat prices in general are also more expensive in Asia, he said. Local egg prices in Japan and South Korea are comparable to U.S. egg prices.

"We are using various alternatives to provide some poultry products on our shelves in South Korea and Japan," said DeCA director Joseph Jeu. "However, because these are limited, interim solutions that may not stock our shelves fully, our patrons may experience shortages of certain poultry items."

Commissary officials have increased deliveries of products containing beef and pork to those countries to replace similar chicken- and turkey-related items rendered unavailable because of the import restrictions.

In South Korea, officials have approved shipment of some cooked poultry items with additional documentation from U.S. manufacturers, said Eric Swayzee, DeCA logistics director. But those new requirements will take time to put in place, and the approval is not retroactive.

That means "the 'cooked' U.S. poultry products already in South Korea, or en route, remain on hold and cannot be sold," Swayzee said.

In late December, after avian flu was reportedly traced to a poultry farm in Oregon, South Korea issued an embargo preventing import of U.S. uncooked poultry and poultry products. After the U.S. Agriculture Department announced that avian flu had been detected in California on Jan. 24, Japan issued an embargo of any imports of poultry that originate or are shipped from California, Oregon and Washington.

"This is not a public health concern," said Army Col. Michael A. Buley, DeCA's director of public health and safety. "This virus has been around a while and there is no indication of transmission to humans. All of these importation restrictions are an attempt to protect the host nation's poultry industries."

This latest issue affecting Pacific stores comes as DeCA has been dealing with the consequences of the West Coast port delays, related to negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association and labor unions representing dock workers.

On Jan. 13, commissary officials began airlifting produce, yogurt and other dairy items to Pacific-area stores after delays in shipping led to empty store shelves.

Some recent news reports indicate the negotiations may be moving forward.

Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.

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