Sainsbury’s (the UK’s second-largest supermarket) is phasing out brown-shelled eggs in its own-brand range and switching to white-shelled eggs as part of its net zero strategy.

Sainsbury’s will sell only white eggs under its own label (including Taste the Difference). Brown eggs have been dominant in the UK since the 1970s, when they were marketed as more “natural” or nutritious (a perception not supported by evidence—shell colour has no impact on taste or nutrition).

A 2024 Life Cycle Assessment (by SAC Consulting) commissioned by Sainsbury’s found white eggs have a 12.7% lower carbon footprint per kg than brown ones in their supply chain. White-feathered hens are typically smaller, eat less feed, produce less manure, and often have a longer productive laying life.

This supports Sainsbury’s targets of net zero across its own operations by 2035 and its full supply chain by 2050. The retailer says the switch reduces demand for feed crops (and associated land/water use).

All Sainsbury’s shell eggs remain 100% free-range (a policy since 2009). The move affects own-brand cartons; other brands may still sell brown eggs. Competitors like Waitrose and Morrisons have said they will continue stocking brown eggs.

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Supermarket says shift will ‘indirectly reduce demand on land and water used to grow feed crops’

Sainsbury’s is ditching brown eggs and switching to white as it races to hit net zero. The Telegraph has the story.

The UK’s second-largest supermarket plans to sell only white-shell eggs in its own-brand cartons after studies found they have a lower carbon footprint than brown alternatives.

Sainsbury’s said the shift towards “lower carbon” eggs would help it hit ambitious targets to reach net zero within its own operations by 2035 and across all of its suppliers by 2050.

White eggs have a 12.7pc smaller carbon footprint than brown alternatives, Sainsbury’s said, because the hens that lay them tend to be smaller and consume less energy-intensive feed. The supermarket said this helps to “indirectly reduce demand on land and water used to grow feed crops, as well as the amount of manure produced”.

The retailer said the shift to white-shell eggs for its own-brand ranges would also help improve animal welfare across its supply chain, given the hens that lay them are less prone to feather pecking. In its latest annual report, the supermarket said it was “making progress” on the egg change.

The switch will see Sainsbury’s go back to the 1970s, when most eggs on Britain’s shelves were white.

Brown eggs became more prevalent after customers started to believe they were healthier and contained more nutrients. At the time, it was falsely claimed that white eggs had been bleached.

Up until relatively recently, brown eggs accounted for almost all the eggs sold in British supermarkets. The majority of white-shelled eggs – produced by breeds including the White Leghorn, which originated in Italy – have gone into restaurants rather than being sold directly to customers.

British supermarkets have started testing demand for white-shelled varieties in recent years. During the pandemic, Tesco began selling them after lockdown panic buying led to a shortage of brown alternatives.

Brown eggs tend to be larger than white eggs – given they typically are laid by larger hens – although there are few other inherent differences, with nuances such as how crackable shells are instead coming down to the age of hens and which breed they come from.

White eggs are more commonly seen in the US, where they account for three quarters of all that are consumed.

While shoppers have been happy to buy white eggs, Sainsbury’s may struggle to ramp up supply.

Read the full story here.