Overview
- Sainsbury’s announced on Wednesday that it will phase out brown eggs from all own‑brand ranges and sell only white‑shelled eggs as it reworks supplier flocks.
- The supermarket cites a SAC Consulting study reporting a 12.7% lower lifecycle carbon footprint for white eggs, a difference it links to white‑feathered hens eating less feed and laying for longer.
- Some shoppers have posted anecdotal reports that white eggs feel more brittle and have paler yolks while industry experts and British Lion Eggs say there is no nutritional difference and yolk colour depends on hen feed.
- Rival chains Morrisons and Waitrose have said they will continue to sell brown eggs and emphasised keeping product choice and pursuing welfare improvements alongside emissions cuts.
- Animal‑welfare groups criticised the move for prioritising emissions over higher‑welfare measures such as the Better Chicken Commitment and analysts note the claimed saving could reduce UK egg‑sector emissions by roughly 550,000 tonnes CO2 annually if adopted industry‑wide.