Australian egg industry is a cracker: report

Australians are eating more eggs than ever. Statistics released by the Australian Egg Corporation reveal that egg consumption is up by 7% on last year.

The egg industry produced 392 million dozen eggs last year - 12.9 million each day. This figure is 10% higher than 2010 levels and represents a 51% increase since 2000.

According to the statistics, the average Australian ate 213 eggs last year, compared with 198 eggs in 2010.

“We believe the increased consumption is due to a growing awareness of new science that proves that eggs do not increase cholesterol as previously thought and that people can safely eat six eggs a week, according to the Heart Foundation,” said James Kellaway, AECL’s Managing Director. “Not only that, new science shows that egg consumption can help people with diabetes and assist reduce obesity in the community.”

In 2011, $523.5 million worth of eggs were sold in the retail sector, up 5% on volumes sold in 2010. Population growth in Australia averages 1.5% each year.

Free-range egg retail sales reached 43 million in 2011, up 24% on 2010 levels and up by 64% on the five-year average. Both barn-laid and cage-egg retail sales dropped slightly from 2010 levels.

“The increase in free-range retail sales was driven, in part, by the lowest free range retail prices since 2006. In terms of market shares in 2011, cage eggs owned 55% of the retail market with free-range eggs representing 34%. Barn-laid eggs remained subdued at 9% of the retail market with organic and other specialty eggs representing 2% of the market,” said Kellaway.

“While Australians have increased their egg consumption in the past two years, Mexicans and Japanese eat considerably more eggs than us. According to the International Egg Commission, Mexicans ate a whopping 365 eggs while Japanese people ate 324 eggs in the past year.”