Time bomb faces the egg industry
The egg industry is facing a ‘demographic time bomb’ because whole generations are losing the habit of eating eggs.
That is the bleak picture to emerge from the Defra report Family Food which reveals the latest findings on spending and consumption in Britain in 2003-4.
The report shows that the numbers of eggs purchased per person per week fell from 1.66 the previous year to 1.62. Although that represents a drop of 2.6 per cent, for statistical reasons the report says the figure is “similar to the previous year”.
But it stresses that the new low means that since 1974 household purchases of eggs have fallen by 57 per cent from 3.74 eggs per person per week. But if the British are buying less eggs they are spending more on them. Spend on eggs has reached 18p per person per week up 1p on the previous year, an increase of 3.7 per cent. This is because increasing numbers of consumers are switching to free range and organic, what the experts call a “quality shift”.
The report compares the extra spending on each commodity against changes in the retail price index. It also highlights a shift to higher quality in beef, poultry, fish, tea and coffee. The “quality shift” in eggs is rated as 4, compared to 5 in beef, 4 in tea and 8 in potatoes. But underlining all of these findings is the fact younger people are simply not eating eggs.
While people between 65 and 75 spend 25p per person per week on eggs those between 40 and 50 spend 15p and those under 40 spend just 13p. And if young adults are spending just half what their parents spend on eggs then children are eating even less.
The report shows that households with no children spend much more on eggs than families. Single householders spent 24p per week on eggs and childless couples spend 22p. Yet homes with four kids spend just 10p, with three kids 11p, with one child 12p.
As total expenditure on food and drink brought home is £22.67, eggs now constitute just 0.8 per cent of the weekly shop.
Amanda Cryer of the British Egg Information Service said that while the egg industry had stemmed falls in egg consumption that were once running at 8 per cent per year it was well aware that the younger part of the population was less aware of eggs. It was for this reason that major advertising campaigns had focused particularly on young housewives with children.
The BEIS is also using public relations techniques to attract younger groups like students. Its latest venture involves signing up the London College of Fashion to help modernise the image of eggs. Student ideas included an image of a pierced egg called “Eggs Rock”. Their designs will be turned into postcards and distributed in bars and student unions.
Eggs are not alone in losing out in a culture that is switching to eating out and ready meals. Family Food shows that sales of pork are down 7 per cent, white fish down 18 per cent, sugar and preserves down 7 per cent, and tea down almost 10 per cent.
In fact average energy intake has fallen by 1.2 per cent.
Of products that are booming yoghurts and fromage frais are up 8 per cent, soft drinks are 10 per cent higher and sales of alcoholic drinks have risen by 9 per cent.
