Sainsbury's is introducing a major change for all shoppers who buy eggs. The supermarket giant is ditching brown eggs and switching to white-shell eggs in its own-brand cartons as part of its push to reach net zero emissions. This move follows studies showing that white eggs have a lower carbon footprint than brown alternatives.
Why the Switch?
Sainsbury's, which has branches in Birmingham and competes with Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Aldi, and Lidl, plans to sell only white-shell eggs under its own label. The company stated that the shift towards lower-carbon eggs will help it achieve ambitious targets: net zero within its own operations by 2035 and across all suppliers by 2050.
A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "White eggs have the same delicious taste and nutritional benefits as their brown counterparts, but result in lower emissions and better welfare outcomes for the hens that lay them. We know Brits love their eggs and, as we work with suppliers to transition all our own brand to white shells, they can now enjoy them knowing they are better for the environment and the hens."
Nutritional and Historical Context
There are no nutritional differences between brown or white eggs. Eggs are a natural, nutritionally dense food containing vitamins, minerals, and high-quality protein, in fewer than 80 calories, regardless of shell colour. In the 1970s, most commercially produced eggs were white. However, with the rise of healthy eating and a move towards wholemeal bread and more natural foods, white eggs fell out of favour as the public perceived larger brown eggs as healthier.
Since the 1980s, the UK egg industry has produced almost 100% brown-shelled eggs for high street retailers. As a result, very few white egg-laying flocks remain in the UK, estimated at only 250,000 to 300,000 of the 36 million egg-laying birds.
What Experts Say
Hello Fresh explains: "Brown eggs are produced by certain breeds of hen. Such breeds tend to produce slightly larger eggs than the varieties that lay white eggs. The difference is marginal, however, and some white eggs will be larger than some brown ones. The shells of brown eggs are fairly uniform and vary only according to the age of the hen laying them. Age also impacts the frequency of double yolks—younger hens produce more of them."
White eggs tend to be bought for industrial consumption in food production and catering sectors, often in greater numbers than brown eggs. However, this is slowly changing as many consumers now see little difference between white and brown eggs. White eggs are produced by hen breeds that are slightly smaller than those producing brown eggs, leading to a slightly smaller average size. Shell thicknesses are similar but can vary with the age of the hen.
