Food scare crises and developing countries: The impact of avian influenza on vertical price transmission in the Egyptian poultry sector

► We examine the effects of the avian influenza crisis on poultry price behavior in Egypt. ► A food scare index is built to reflect consumer awareness of the crisis. ► Price adjustments are found to depend on the magnitude of the food scare index. ► Retailers are found to increase their marketing margins during the crisis at the expense of wholesaler margins.