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Chicken and Egg Sales Reflect Ethics as Becoming a New Significant InfluenceWednesday, August 9, 2006FA.Net "Consumers are increasingly turning their backs on eggs from laying cage hens, which are often housed in poor conditions," said Mintel market research analyst Claire Birks. The Belfast Telegraph article notes what the different egg systems entail for the birds. Those figures were released just a week after the U.K. government published a report showing that conditions remain poor for the 800 million chickens annually raised for meat in Britain's intensive systems. The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reported that deformities were common, and the legs of a quarter of the birds could not support their quickly fattened bodies. Of the total 860 million chickens annually produced for meat there, approximately 94% are raised indoors. Another 5% are reared free range, and the remaining 1% are reared using organic standards. In the U.S., a new report [hyperlink: http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?cat_id=0&report_id=344132&q=egg%20sales&p=1 ] by Research and Markets says egg sales have decreased since 2000, with concerns related to "ethical food production" promoting the sales of organic, cage-free, and free-range eggs and eggs from vegetarian-fed hens. The survey found that 27% of respondents purchase specialty eggs, particularly 25-34 year olds and 55-64 year olds. Consumer attitudes and other factors affecting U.S. retail egg sales are identified in the report, which includes a 5-year sales forecast. |