A Tesco customer has gone viral on TikTok after sharing a video from their local branch highlighting how almost all eggs on the shelves are now white.
In a clip, they recorded footage of themselves opening a variety of cartons, including Tesco’s own range of medium and large sized free range eggs. Whilst some of those boxes contained a mixture of both white and brown, others were all white by the dozen and half dozen.
“Can someone explain to me why we have had an influx in white eggs in Tesco?” the confused shopper asked. “Eggs are now white like in America?”
Other TikTok users were quick to offer an explanation, with many claiming it was down to the supermarket giant cutting costs. ” Different breed of chicken with lower feed costs and higher yield,” one suggested.
A second person theorised: “White chickens lay more (white) eggs than brown, and were mainly used in mass catering factories, until the pandemic when we ate more eggs at home, and the factories used less, they started to be a popular choice with many, so supermarkets now sell both brown and white, instead of just brown.”
Whilst a third person claimed: “The colour is to do with the quality of conditions they’re kept in. Unfortunately bird flu has been bad for about four years now and it’s meant a huge number of chickens have been cooped. Being cooped also affects what they’re fed so they don’t produce too much mess and get infections etc so it’s a bad situation for the quality of eggs when bird flu is rife.”
Others, meanwhile, said the change is nothing to be concerned out, explaining that in decades gone by white eggs were much more common. “It’s just the breed of chicken that’s all,” one person added. “Nothing wrong with them. Some farms are changing breed of chicken that’s all produce more eggs. It’s just supply and demand.”
Another Brit recalled: “All eggs were white in the 60s/70s when I was a kid. Mid 70s brown eggs came on the scene.” Someone else concurred: “Up until the early 1970s, white eggs were popular in the UK. However, during the late 1970s the number of white eggs began to diminish as consumers expressed a preference for brown eggs.”
Tesco itself, meanwhile, confirmed an “unprecedented demand” for eggs has led it to stock the “far rarer” white variety for the first time in more than 40 years. As one TikTok user alluded to, the supermarket explained that the pandemic saw an increase in interest in home baking, resulting in a 30% increase in demand for eggs.
It added that demand for white eggs previously fell due to “misconceptions” they were inferior in quality, with many Brits incorrectly believing they had been bleached.
Tesco eggs buying manager Megan Kilby said: “The initial trial during the lockdown has been a success and we will now be stocking white free range eggs for the first time in more than 40 years. These eggs are used throughout the restaurant industry so shoppers can be assured of their quality.
“The move could also have a massive agricultural benefit as white hens are more docile than brown ones and lay eggs for longer and more reliably too.”
