ST EWE FREE RANGE EGGS is donating tens of thousands of eggs to food banks after the closure of out of home eating caused demand to plummet.

For every tray of eggs that the firm sells at a reduced price, the company will donate one carton of eggs to those in need across Cornwall.

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Rebecca Tonks, chief executive at St Ewe’s, said half of the firm’s customers were in the hospitality and food service sector.

“We, along with countless other packers in the UK, face the heart-breaking reality of having to throw away these perfectly edible eggs, right when they are needed most.

“It is from here that the idea for the Shell Out To Help Out campaign came about; to reduce food waste and supply tasty and nutritious eggs to those that need it most.”

Egg market

Ms Tonks said the egg market was in a poor position.

“Timing is everything, and the lead up to Christmas which had its usual buzz was followed by the plummet that falls in between Christmas and New Year; this year it has been faster and harder than ever.

“Combined with the third lockdown, uncertainty of Brexit and an increase in poultry feed prices, this cruel timing has left many poultry businesses in a dismal position.”

Grateful

St Ewe’s has partnered with local charities to help spread the word including CHAOS (Feed Cornwall), FareShare SW, The Hive and Newquay Orchard.

CHAOS has received 20,000 eggs from the firm to date.

Its managing director Babs Rounsevell said: “We are incredibly grateful to St Ewe eggs for their generosity which will help hundreds of people across Cornwall.

“We know just how hard critical workers are working to protect all of us at this time and we would particularly like to invite them to come and collect some of these eggs”.