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FBR March 2016

18 | MARCH 2016 | FOOD & BEVERAGE REPORTER www.fbreporter.com But now that the health concerns about cholesterol and eggs are beginning to dissipate, the global egg industry is facing up to perhaps an even bigger challenge: public perception about its production methods which are viewed by many as inhumane. At heart, too, is a growing demand from consumers for choices about the kind of food they put on their tables. The public is increasingly demanding information on whether or not their food has been ethically and humanely produced, as well as its impact on the environment, so they can make informed choices. This trend has spawned the rise of the “cage-free” movement that is gathering momentum in many countries, including SA. Caged laying hens have been described as “among the most intensively confined animals in agribusiness”. Critics say the cages prevent the hens from performing natural behaviours such as nesting, perching, and dustbathing. But the cage-free movement itself has a number of cracks, since cage- free means different things to different people. The term is generally used to mean farming methods in which hens are able to walk around, spread their wings and lay their eggs in nests. It’s often used interchangeably with barn-raised, free- range, pasture-fed and organically-raised. The International Egg Commission (IEC), in a recent report on global hen housing practices, notes that the only country without any form of cages is Switzerland, the first country (way back in 1992) to step away from keeping laying hens in cage systems. The EU has since introduced so-called “enriched cages” or “furnished cages” but they have done little to allay consumer and animal rights concerns about the welfare of the hens. According to an IEC report in 2015, 90% of the world’s eggs are still caged, a situation that is unlikely to change significantly any time soon. SA Poultry Association (SAPA) CEO Kevin Lovell says South Africa currently has no enriched cages, and only around 4% of our eggs are cage-free. Lovell is an “eggspert” on chickens and their welfare. He has two BSc degrees, in agriculture and agriculture extension, and represents global egg producers on the welfare working group of the World Organisation for Animal Health. He is also a member of a global task team set up to resolve avian influenza challenges and an advisor on egg production in the developing world. Lovell says in general most South African consumers “are much less SPOTLIGHT Millions of chickens, billions of eggs Eggs occupy an important place on the global menu as a cheap source of first-class protein. And SA is no exception, although egg consumption here is relatively lower in comparison to many other countries. SA Poultry Association (SAPA) CEO Kevin Lovell is bullish about the future of the egg industry in this country, describing it as “pretty good” with “huge room for growth”. He says that with a gross turnover of R9,2-billion at producer level in 2014, eggs remain the fourth largest animal product sector in agriculture in SA, after poultry meat, beef and milk. Production levels peaked in 2012, and have not yet returned to that high. Total value at retail level was R13-billion in 2014, with 24-million hens laying a whopping 7,5-billion eggs sold in 2014. Searching for What eggactly does the cage-free movement mean for SA? Melody Macintyre pecks and scratches around for answers. H ens have suffered from a serious PR problem for the last 50 years - because of the math: Eggs = lots of cholesterol = lots of heart disease. But that equation is no longer adding up to much these days and the “science” behind the health horror-stories heaped upon the humble egg is starting to look pretty Humpty Dumpty indeed. Globally, the rehabilitation of the egg has been gaining pace as a result of a bulging in-tray of research showing that, despite what the multi-billion dollar statin industry says, dietary cholesterol is not health-damaging. On the contrary, it’s vital for good health. Adding to this, the recently-updated US dietary guidelines – which influence dietary trends worldwide - have, albeit grudgingly, put eggs back on the breakfast menu (well, one-a-day for now). In South Africa, eggs are enjoying a renaissance thanks to the Banting diet which is a big promoter of eggs (along with once-vilified bacon and butter too).

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