TESCO is expanding its offering of white eggs by selling mixed colour packs in stores served by the supermarket’s Peterborough depot.
The new listing is a mixed pack of white and brown barn eggs at a ratio of 30% white and 70% brown.
See also: Free-range egg prices remain low despite hospitality opening
One of the three tiers of Noble Foods’ flagship barn unit in the Midlands has had white-egg birds placed to see how performance and management compare with brown layers.
And eggs from the birds have been on sale in the new packaging since early April.
Noble Foods placed a flock of Lohman LSL hens in the converted farm at the end of February this year.
Egg sales
In May last year, Tesco began listing white eggs for the first time in more than 40 years as the covid-19 pandemic drove a considerable lift in retail sales and significant shortages on supermarket shelves.
The firm’s Jean-Paul Michalski said: “We’ve had experience of white birds over the years and already have a number of flocks on the ground in free-range production to further expand the journey with Tesco and their customers to introduce more white eggs onto retail shelves.”
John Kirkpatrick, Tesco’s agricultural manager for poultry and eggs, added: “This will be a great opportunity to understand how white birds compare to brown in new modern barn systems.
Sustainable products
“Already, it’s clear to see how well the bird is adapted to use the multi-tier aviary systems with high levels of activity, reduced feed consumption and very good egg recovery.
“We feel this proposition helps us to continue to deliver healthy, sustainable and affordable products for our Tesco customers.”
NFU National Poultry Board Chair Thomas Wornham said there was a lot of interest from members about the potential benefits of keeping white hens
“But it is important the supply chain works collaboratively in order to position white egg favourably in front of the consumer.”
