Australians consume 18.5 million eggs every day and farmers work around the clock to supply a range of eggs and egg products to suit everyone. Find out more about Australia's growing egg industry below.
Scrambled, fried, sunny-side up, in quiche, a stir-fry or even a cake, Australians love their eggs. Every day, 90% of all Australians consume more than 15 million eggs—that's about 5.5 billion eggs a year or about 230 eggs per person each year. Our taste for eggs has been steadily growing, but not just for any eggs.
Australian egg farmers produce 16.9 million eggs every day to feed the nation, which equates to 6.2 billion eggs each year! They're simply trying to keep up with demand, with Australians consuming approximately 247 eggs per person per year (up from 221 just 6 years ago).
On average, every Australian eats about 15 kilograms of eggs each year – about 262 per person. Australian farmers produced 6.6 billion eggs in 2021-22.
Shifting to free-range eggs
Australians consume about 17 million eggs every day. In the 2020-21 financial year, egg farmers produced about 6.3 billion eggs. Of those, 52% were free-range.
Which Country in the World Consumes the Most Eggs? There are lots of people who enjoy consuming eggs, but there is one country that consumes more eggs than just about any other place on Earth. Per person, Japan consumes the most eggs every year. The average person in Japan eats about 320 eggs per year.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Egg industry hit by price increase, supermarkets struggling to get supply. The issues have been put down to a number of reasons, including rising feed costs, chicken disease outbreaks overseas, weather issues and the belief that supermarkets are phasing out caged eggs too soon.
Over 1.5 million chickens are killed every single day in Australia alone. The treatment of chickens who are used for their meat – known as 'broiler' chickens – is one of the biggest animal welfare issues in the world today.
While the consensus among health authorities in Australia and the US is that an egg a day is fine — including for people with type 2 diabetes which raises heart disease risk — there are some dissenters.
'A prudent amount would be 2–3 egg-based meals per week to ensure that a variety of other foods are regularly being included in a healthy eating pattern, which includes vegetables, legumes, fish, wholegrains and nuts.
Scrambled? Poached? Hard-boiled? With so many ways to prepare eggs, no wonder it scores second place on the most commonly eaten food across the globe.
The Phillipines have held top spot for Australian egg exports, based on the five-year average trade values, holding 27% of the trade. Meanwhile, Singapore and Hong Kong have been jostling for second and third place on the medal podium.
The market share of cage eggs on supermarket shelves has fallen from 70% in 2009 to just over 30% in 2023. Up to 70% of the transition has already taken place, animal advocates say.
Australia imports most of its Egg from Vietnam, India and Italy .
Woolworths blames reduced production for egg shortage
Unlike their competitor Coles, Woolworths does not currently have any egg buying restrictions in place for customers despite the shortage.
In the 2021-22 financial year, New South Wales produced 35% of Australia's eggs with Queensland (30%) & Victoria (20%) not far behind. How many hens are there in Australia's egg industry? In June 2022, Australia's egg industry reported a national flock size of 21,187,854 layers.
Fresh eggs can be kept refrigerated for up to 6 weeks but always check the use by date displayed on the carton. It is best to put eggs in the fridge as soon as you get them home.
Based on a comparison of 165 countries in 2020, Netherlands ranked the highest in egg consumption per capita with 22.2 kg followed by China and Mexico. On the other end of the scale was South Sudan with 0.020 kg, Angola with 0.070 kg and Dem. Republic of the Congo with 0.080 kg.
One thing you'll notice anywhere you go in China is the number of people who eat boiled eggs as a portable snack. Boiled, pickled, preserved, fried or stir-fried, the egg takes so many forms that it's unsurprising it is just about everywhere you look.
It means that Japanese consumers eat eggs almost every day. Eggs are considered easy to prepare, and in addition to that, eggs are a food with high nutritional value because they contain abundant protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
Egg producers blame shortage, high prices on industry uncertainty due to shift from cage to free range. Hard boiled with soldiers, poached, fried, or scrambled, whichever way you have your eggs, you'll be paying more for the privilege.
Pace Farm – The enjoyable egg
We've been providing Australia with the freshest and tastiest eggs since the 1970s. Since then, we have grown into one of the largest egg producers in Australia. Pace Farm is a leading supplier, marketer and distributor with a diverse range of farm fresh eggs and egg products.
In the 2019 financial year, 1.15 million Australian dollars worth of fresh eggs were exported to Hong Kong. Around 750 thousand Australian dollars worth of eggs were also exported to New Zealand.