'Difference between white and brown eggs explained'

Following Sainsbury's (UK Supermarket) decision to ditch brown eggs and stock exclusively white eggs, many Brits have been questioning whether there's any nutritional different between the two. And more importantly, whether the change is reason enough to switch supermarkets.

The reason behind the chain's move to white eggs centres on their reported 12.7% lower carbon footprint versus brown eggs, based on Sainsbury's own research. This stems from hens that produce white eggs consuming less feed while laying the same quantity of eggs, lowering the resources needed throughout the supply chain. Feed production represents 50-60% of the environmental impact of egg farming.

Britain gets through approximately 14.5 billion eggs annually, generating an estimated 4.35 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in the process. If the entire industry achieves the same 12.7% reduction claimed by Sainsbury's, emissions could drop by over 550,000 tonnes of CO2 each year, 'The Independent' reports.

That's roughly equivalent to removing nearly 300,000 cars from Britain's roads. But what about the difference in quality?

For much of the 20th century, white eggs were standard in the UK. However, during the 1970s, brown eggs became the preference of Britain's middle class and ultimately dominated the market.

Today, the majority of eggs sold are brown, and, as the well-to-do presume, the darker the egg and the more vibrant the yolk, the superior the quality. In reality, there is remarkably little distinction between the two differently coloured eggs, with Sainsbury's stunt appearing to be little more than a shrewd marketing exercise.

Influencer Sunna Van Kampen, known as @tonichealth, claimed in a TikTok post that the characteristically vivid orange yolks are not an indicator of quality, but a consequence of what the hens have been fed. Sunna, who has 8.5 million likes on the platform, said: "The reason why your yolks are so dark and orange... is because they feed [the hens] marigold and paprika."

This was backed up by a 2024 study published by the 'National Library of Medicine'. "We found that paprika improved the colour of the egg yolks and affected the hens' blood cholesterol levels in different ways," the study claims.

The shade of a yolk is largely determined by pigments known as carotenoids, which are found naturally in produce such as maize, marigold, peppers and carrots.

The colour of the eggshell is determined by the breed of the hen. Generally speaking, white hens lay white eggs while brown hens lay brown eggs.

There is no nutritional distinction between white and brown shelled eggs, according to British Lion Eggs.

What is more significant, however, is checking the code stamped on the shell. Organic eggs carry a 0, free-range eggs a 1, barn eggs a 2 and eggs from caged hens a 3 - though all major supermarkets no longer stock caged hen eggs.

Ultimately, neither the shell colour nor the yolk shade reveals how healthy the hen was, or whether the egg will produce a better omelette. What it does indicate is that selling white eggs is considerably more cost-effective for a supermarket chain such as Sainsbury's - and perhaps better for the environment too.

Words and image above from article seen here

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All the best Jan