Major UK Grocery Chain Will Stop Selling Brown Eggs Claiming White Eggs Are More Environmentally Friendly

First it was methane-producing cows, now its chickens that produce brown eggs that are being targeted in the name of a greener planet.One of the largest supermarket chains in the United Kingdom is getting ridiculed for announcing it would stop selling brown eggs because they supposedly have a larger carbon footprint than white eggs.Sainsbury, which is the country’s second-largest supermarket chain, says the change is part of its effort to become more climate neutral. It aims toward transitioning its entire store brand options to white shells.“Commissioning a lifecycle assessment with three of our egg suppliers, white eggs were found to have a 12.7 per cent lower carbon footprint than our brown eggs,” Sainsbury claims on its website. “This is largely due to better feed conversion and the longer productive lifespan of the white hens.”The store chain also claims it is trying for “higher animal welfare outcomes” because it says white hens are less prone to feather pecking, a harmful behavior where chickens peck at and pull out the feathers of other birds in the flock.Coverage of the change drew strong social media criticism. “What’s next? Ditching oranges and bananas for net zero? The only thing what needs ditching is net zero!” one X user reacted.“It seems this company funds left liberal lobbies and appeases them,” another person reacted.A man who claims to be a poultry breeder refuted the claim that hens that lay white eggs have a lower carbon footprint. He says that hens that lay white eggs have shorter productive lives and need longer to incubate, which costs more than chickens that lay brown eggs.“You want to know about eggs, come talk to someone like me. Don’t rely on some hairbrained imagination of a buyer who’s trying to squeeze the profit margin for a few extra pennies at our expense and to the poor hens detriment,” he said in an X post.Reform UK lawmaker Richard Tice reacted on X, calling the decision “Sainsbury’s Net Stupid Zero madness.” That post drew a reaction from another member of Parliament: Labor Party member Andrew Western fired back at Mr. Tice, saying, “Honestly the stuff these anti-woke crusaders will feign outrage at to have something to complain about.”Sainsbury might have trouble reaching its goal of going all-white for eggs. Unlike America, brown eggs account for a large majority of the eggs currently produced for sale in British supermarkets. The brown eggs grew in popularity after reports they were healthier than white eggs, although that is not accurate.Rival chains Waitrose and Morrisons say they have no plans to phase out brown eggs. The National Farmers’ Union’s poultry board says, however, that poultry producers are open to producing more white eggs if consumer demand is there. It says the average person in the United Kingdom eats 199 eggs a year.Sainsbury has faced accusations for years that it is trying to promote a “woke” agenda. In 2024 it was mocked for a new chicken nugget product the chain described as “Gingerbread Shaped People” instead of the more common “Gingerbread Men.”The grocery chain was also criticized for a 2020 Christmas ad that only featured non-whites. “We want to be the most inclusive retailer. That’s why, throughout all our advertising we aim to represent a modern Britain, which has a diverse range of communities,” Sainsbury’s social media team told industry site Retail Tech Innovation Hub.

Major UK Grocery Chain Will Stop Selling Brown Eggs Claiming White Eggs Are More Environmentally Friendly

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