UK retailer Sainsbury's has announced that it will only sell eggs sourced from free-range farms, starting April 2020.
The move to switch to 100% free-range eggs, which Sainsbury's claims is a first for any retailer in the UK, will help in meeting the growing demand for free-range eggs.
The sales of free-range eggs grew 12% last year, adding over £10 million in value, Sainsbury's said quoting the latest data from Kantar.
The sales of barn and caged eggs have seen a decline during the same period.
'Welfare Standards'
Director of Sainsbury’s brand, Judith Batchelar, said, "We know our customers care about where their eggs come from and that they’re responsibly sourced. We’re committed to offering the best possible quality and value while ensuring high welfare standards and helping to restore the environment at the same time."
David Brass, owner of The Lakes Free Range Eggs Co, said, "This is a great example of Sainsbury’s holding the needs of its customers at the heart of the decisions it makes – delivering quality, sustainably produced eggs, whilst driving the highest standards of hen welfare and biodiversity through the planting of millions of trees for them to roam in."
The retailer sells around 800 million eggs annually, which is the equivalent of around 2.2 million eggs per day, in its stores and online channels.
In 2009, it became the first major retailer to offer 100% cage-free eggs.
All private-label eggs sold in Sainsbury's are already sourced from UK farms that adhere to animal welfare standards set up by RSPCA.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
