Nearly All Our Eggs In One Basket
A survey of 5,000 consumers by the Australian Egg Corporation Ltd found that hen welfare is a secondary consideration for most egg consumers. Despite this finding, however, “free-range” eggs hold a significant share of the Australian market.
The current Australian market shows a slight decline in purchases of free-range eggs and a rise in sales of caged eggs. In 2009, 62% of all retail egg sales were caged eggs, while free-range comprised 27% and barn-laid comprised 8% of retail sales.
In this research, the Australian Egg Corporation found that 26% of people considered hen welfare the most important factor in their purchase, while 44% of consumers cited food safety as their primary concern, and 4% felt that sustainability of the egg farm was most important.