Putting the egg in Brexit: ‘Breggsit’ storm brewing as businesses encouraged to prepare
UK - Food businesses across the UK are being encouraged to ‘trust the Lion’ and rely on British Lion eggs and egg products – for both surety of supply and food safety - ahead of the UK’s departure from the European Union in March 2019
8 August 2018
3 minute read
By: With Brexit supply uncertainty and recent food safety scares on the continent, as well as new research showing strong consumer demand for the use of British eggs in prepared food, there are serious question marks over the future of imported eggs and egg products.
The independent research1, commissioned by British Lion Egg Processors, showed that more than two thirds of shoppers are concerned that the egg in prepared food products they purchase is produced to different standards depending on which country it comes from.
The report also found that:
- 57 percent of shoppers would like to know where the eggs in prepared food they purchase come from
- More than half of shoppers were disappointed to learn that the egg products in certain prepared foods are not British
- 64 percent of UK shoppers would feel more confident buying egg products if they saw a Lion mark on the packaging
- 54 percent of shoppers expected the eggs in processed food products to be produced to the same standards as those required in the UK
- Three quarters of shoppers feel it’s a supermarket’s responsibility to be completely transparent about where the ingredients in their food products come from
- Almost 50 percent would think less of a supermarket that sold food products which contained imported eggs
- 44 percent of shoppers would change the products they buy or where they shop if they found that the eggs used were not British Lion
Ian Jones, Chairman of British Lion Egg Processors, said: “There is a ‘Breggsit’ storm brewing. In these uncertain times, with the potential knock-on effects of Brexit on the supply of food imports still not clear, and recurring issues with the safety of eggs and egg products produced abroad, food businesses can put their trust in the Lion to guide them through safely.
“With research also clearly showing that consumers want British eggs to be used in prepared foods containing egg, now is the time for food businesses to give them what they want, relying on the Lion for surety of supply and the highest standards of food safety.”
Ryan Johnson
Ryan worked in conservation from 2008 to 2017, during which time he operated a rainbow trout hatchery and helped to maintain public and protected green spaces in Canada for the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. As editor of The Poultry Site, he now writes about challenges and opportunities in agriculture across the globe.
