SAINSBURY’S has been criticised by an organic egg farmer for stocking Italian barn eggs on shelves in its local store.
The Macs Farm, an award-winning free-range egg producer from Sussex took to Facebook to criticise the supermarket for stocking imported egg.
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In a post, the farm said: “Absolutely disgusted to see Sainsbury’s stocking Italian barn eggs covered in plastic.
“Sainsbury’s you literally have a British family farm producing free-range organic eggs down the road!”
Pictures taken by the Macs Farm appear to show the imported barn eggs next to signage suggesting they were from free-range hens housed for their welfare.
The supermarket confirmed this was an error and had asked the store to move the notices.
It is not the first time the retailer has turned to sourcing barn eggs from Italian supplier Atlante Ingredients.
The line first appeared on shelves amid shortages related to the covid pandemic in the summer of 2020.
And in November 2022 the supermarket once again began sourcing eggs from Italy and Spain as reductions in the UK’s national laying hen flock led to egg shortages.
The retailer said it was committed to only stocking cage-free eggs.
‘Temporary sourcing’
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said, “Currently, supermarkets are experiencing some supply challenges with eggs.
“At Sainsbury’s, we are committed to sourcing British as much as possible and continue to work hard with our suppliers across the UK to ensure customers can buy what they need.
“To help maintain availability, we are also temporarily sourcing some eggs from Italy, which will be clearly labelled on the packaging.”
