Overview
- This week Sainsbury’s confirmed it will phase out brown-shelled eggs from its own-label cartons and move to white-shell eggs after commissioning a lifecycle assessment.
- SAC Consulting’s study for Sainsbury’s found white eggs have a 12.7% lower carbon footprint because the white-feathered hens that lay them tend to eat less feed and lay for longer.
- Industry experts and farming groups note a practical constraint: white-egg layers make up roughly 15% of the UK flock, so suppliers will need years to re-breed and scale production for a full transition.
- Rivals Waitrose and Morrisons say they will continue to sell brown eggs to preserve customer choice, while critics including campaigners have accused Sainsbury’s of greenwashing or commercial motives.
- The move could change what shoppers see on shelves and prompt supply-chain shifts, so look for supplier breeding plans, price or size differences, and independent verification of the emissions and welfare claims.