Food industry Good Eggs recognised for cage-free efforts

The RSPCA today named several ‘Good Eggs’ in the food industry: companies that have decided to make the switch to cage-free eggs. Coles and Alligator Brand Fresh Pasta were named as the 2013 Good Egg Award winners in the retail and manufacturing category respectively.

The awards were presented at a ceremony in Sydney this morning, preceded by the Great Cage-Free Cook Off, which pitted four food writers against one another to make the perfect cage-free omelette. News Limited food writer Grant Jones won the contest with his perfectly cooked smoked salmon omelette.

The Cook Off was judged by recent My Kitchen Rules winners Dan and Steph Mulheron.

The awards, now in their third year in Australia, acknowledge companies which have made a conscious effort to source more humanely produced eggs. As RSPCA Australia CEO Heather Neil pointed out, half of all Australia’s eggs are used by food manufacturers, restaurants and cafes. Even if every consumer purchased cage-free eggs, there are still 400 million dozen-egg cartons that are used by industry each year.

Neil said the awards aim to encourage consumers to learn more about where their food comes from and helps them to do so by commending businesses that have taken the positive step of sourcing cage-free eggs.

Coles was awarded for its efforts to switch its Coles Brand Eggs to cage-free - a commitment it made two years ago and realised earlier this year. According to the RSPCA, this decision will improve the lives of more than 350,000 hens each year.

Alligator Brand Fresh Pasta, which uses around 20,800 eggs each year in its products, was a winner in the manufacturing category.

“We use over 25 tonnes of free-range egg pulp for our production each year, so it is important to us that we do this in the most humane way possible,” said Alligator spokesperson Amanda Beckett. “And of course using free-range eggs means we produce delicious pasta!”

IKEA Australia received a commendation as part of the awards for its commitment to sourcing only cage-free eggs for use in its cafes. Several small-scale organisations were also recognised for their leadership: Flinders University, Byron Shire Council and The Cupcake Room.

“The commitment shown by these companies and businesses to help improve animal welfare will save many Australian hens from a life of cruel confinement,” Neil said.

“Together, this commitment from Coles Brand Eggs and Alligator Brand Fresh Pasta will see over 105 million eggs sourced from over 350,000 cage-free hens in Australia each year, and we’re excited to work with IKEA on their future plans as well.

“Importantly, these moves by major brands demonstrate that not only are Australian consumers demanding higher welfare products and becoming more interested in where and how their food is produced and sourced, but they also show it’s possible and feasible in a business sense to make more humane choices in the supply chain.”