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The Co-op has staged a free range revolution in its stores across Britain. In just six years it has transformed the free range share of its total eggs sales from just 11 per cent to well over 50 per cent. And it has no intention of stopping there.

For this outstanding achievement the retailer is the winner of a Good Egg Award, which recognises outstanding contributions to “food quality and animal welfare”. The award will be presented at the free range conference later this month.

The story of the Co-op’s remarkable sales turnaround stretches back to 1994 when it carried out a survey among 30,000 consumers to test what concerns they had about the food industry. Animal welfare appeared at the top of the list and the results led to a new consumer-led approach.

“In the case of eggs,” says David Croft, head of Co-op brand and technical, “we set out new labelling making clear the origins of any eggs from caged hens so that people would not be misled by designs on the box showing chickens happily pecking in a field and believing they were free range.

“This was against the prevailing industry line at the time but we felt it was in the consumer’s interest. And now the law has changed to make this type of labelling the norm.”

Earlier this year the packaging changed again as part of a further re-focusing of the egg category. The number of cage lines were reduced from six to four and the colour of the packs carrying these eggs was changed from white to grey. The free range boxes were redesigned with strong messages on the sides. At the same time 3,275 stores nationwide employed bright, new point of sale material which was developed with the help of Freedom Food, the RSPCA scheme with which the Co-op has worked closely since its formation ten years ago.

“Earlier this year about forty five per cent of the eggs we sold were free range,” says Mr Croft. “By promoting free range and redesigning the packaging to make free range more attractive than the alternative we have already succeeded in moving that proportion up to fifty eight per cent, an increase of about a third in six months.

“Our aim is to achieve eighty per cent by 2007 which would enable a shift fully into free range.”

BFREPA chairman Tom Vesey said: “What the Co-op has achieved and is continuing to achieve in promoting free range eggs is truly outstanding. Its detailed research into consumer concerns and the development of a strategy to meet those concerns deserve our recognition. And, of course, the sale of increasing numbers of free range eggs deserves our enthusiastic support.”

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