E is for Eggs

Eggs lead the way when it comes to higher-welfare food sales. Around 42 per cent of fresh eggs are now free-range (57 per cent by value). It seems images of battery chickens are just too horrendous to stomach. Plus the cost of kindness isn’t too steep, even though egg prices have rocketed recently with the rising cost of chicken feed.

But what about all the hidden eggs in our food? This year Sainsbury’s gave free-range a boost by banning battery eggs from their own-label products, as well as having just free-range on the shelves (M&S did this six years ago). A number of food manufacturers have also made the switch. Compassion in World Farming gives a ‘Good Egg’ award to those who do. You’d never guess some products, such as Quorn, contained eggs in the first place. And a Creme Egg actually contains egg — Cadbury has now taken the free-range pledge.

But how free is free-range? There are questions over how much the birds go outside, given the size of flock allowed and the distance of the birds from the ‘pop-holes’. The regulations allow such flocks to be up to 16,000 strong, though divided into groups of 4,000. The highest standard is Soil Association-certified organic, available in Waitrose and independent shops. Birds are recommended to be kept in flocks of 500, though up to 2,000 if the conditions are right.

As regards battery birds, cages are meant to be banned altogether in Europe in 2012, but there will still be ‘enriched’ cages, which are bigger but considered unacceptable by animal welfare campaigners.

Compassion in World Farming: www.ciwf.org.uk

Battery Hen Welfare Trust: www.bhwt.org.uk

Soil Assocation: www.soilassociation.org; for local organic egg suppliers go to ‘find organic’ in the business section.