In terms of egg imports into Australia, by value, 75% of the trade flows over the last five years have been from China, USA or European sources. China sits in top spot and has accounted for just over one fifth of the import of eggs into Australia, with the USA sitting in second place on 15% of the trade.
Fertile bird eggs can currently be imported into Australia from selected Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment approved countries only. To bring fertile eggs to Australia, they must meet all of the department's import conditions prior to export.
Numerous factors are contributing to the shortage, but essentially it is a case of demand outstripping supply. According to Egg Farmers of Australia, in recent years the industry has been impacted by a range of issues including bushfires, floods, droughts, a mice plague, COVID-19 impacts and increased production costs.
Under the law, eggs labelled as 'free range' must come from hens that are able to roam and forage outdoors for at least eight hours each day. The maximum outdoor stocking density for free range egg farming is 10,000 hens per hectare of land or one hen per square metre.
According to eggs.org.au (best domain name ever), the cartons we see on the shelves of Australian supermarkets contain eggs that were laid up to 42 days ago. That's six weeks. All we have to go by, traditionally, is the 'use-by' date.
We are proud to bring you these fresh Organic Free Range Eggs, Laid by our healthy hens on our ACO certified organic farms. Our hens are fed only on certified organic mix, and roam freely over certified organic pastures during daylight hours. Our farms are proudly Australian farmer owned and run.
In what is being hailed as a major victory for more humane treatment of animals in Australia, fast food giant McDonald's has announced that it will switch to using only eggs produced by free-range chickens throughout all 900 of its locations down-under.
Coles RSPCA Approved fresh chicken
It's why all our Coles Own Brand fresh chicken isn't just 100% Aussie, it's raised on RSPCA Approved farms.
All of Aldi's organic and free-range eggs, as well as their free-range chicken, are RSPCA Assured, making them one of the largest retailers of RSPCA Assured free-range chicken in the UK.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand's Response
The statement continues to say that refrigerating whole eggs is not required because: The Salmonella bacteria which can contaminate an egg while it's inside the bird isn't present in Australian eggs.
Egg washing is not required in Australia, but sale of dirty eggs is prohibited by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Storing washed eggs below 7°C can help reduce the ability of Salmonella to grow.
Avoiding temperature fluctuation is critical to egg safety. A cold egg left out at room temperature can sweat, facilitating the growth of bacteria that could contaminate the egg.
United States imports Eggs primarily from: Canada ($31.4M), United Kingdom ($11.6M), China ($6.4M), New Zealand ($5.13M), and France ($3.53M).
Most of the white eggs sold by grocery stores are produced by Leghorn chickens or by proprietary breeds that Leghorns were used to create. Leghorns are lightweight birds that start laying eggs as early as 4 to 5 months of age. They can produce nearly 300 eggs per year without going broody.
At least 97% of our chicken-on-the-bone, fillets and strips are regularly delivered fresh (not frozen) into our restaurants from reputable Aussie chicken suppliers like Inghams, Steggles and Golden Farms.
Aldi gets its chicken from Tyson Foods. This chicken sells under the brand Kirkwood, and it includes breasts, thighs, wings, and drumsticks, among others. Tyson Foods supplies Aldi with chicken, who then repackage it using their private label. Aldi's Kirkwood chicken is Tyson's chicken, with different names.
We use real, fresh chicken. It's always cage-free. And we're always looking for new ways to raise our welfare standards.
The best free-range eggs at Coles:
Hens of the Earth Eggs: 500 hens/hectare. Family Homestead: 750 hens/hectare. Sunny Queen Free Range Eggs: 1500 hens/hectare.
Are Your Eggs Real? Oh, they're real alright. Across all five styles of eggs we make, you can feel confident knowing they all start with a real egg. Learn more about what kind of eggs we use.
The RSPCA has more details here on companies using cage-free eggs. It has recognised McDonald's, Subway, Grill'd, Nando's and IKEA as industry leaders in shifting away from caged eggs.
Is There a Salmonella Risk? The risk is low as Australia has strict food safety laws and strong state agencies with responsibility for regulating our food system. Egg farmers also do everything they can to supply safe, clean, and fresh eggs.
Among the different types of eggs, all are safe and a good source of protein, vitamin A and vitamin D.