Size Matters

It’s easter, the time to talk about eggs and I have just given an interview to ITV news for a nationwide feature on “Size Matters”.  It’s a campaign being run by the national charity British Hen Welfare Trust to raise awareness of the issues (for hens), of this penchant we consumers seem to have for large sized eggs.  Since I am one half of a local co-ordinator for the charity in Yorkshire, I air my views accordingly.

We kick off with pleasantries and exchange hairdressing tips (not aired) and then dive into the far more serious and slightly unsavoury business of what must it be like to lay a giant sized egg??  Aside from the obvious prolapse risk and general strain on the physiology of producing something far bigger in size than nature intended, I throw in a curve ball suggesting that anyone who has delivered a baby might consider if they’d rather it was 7lb or 15lb.  This leaves an indelible impression, not least on me, since even I had never quite thought of it in that way before…. 

Consumers influence the market with pocket power and welfare at the moment, is being trumped by demand for size.  Sums not being my forte I nonetheless speculate that the cost in shortened lives and health problems of commercial laying birds, set against the increase in price per egg obtained for large eggs, cannot possibly be cost effective.  What madness is this?  One which I hope will end soon…  Waitrose lead the way at the moment in selling boxes of mixed size eggs on their shelves but I am hot on their heels with my own garden gate offerings and hoping the other vendors will catch up soon…

BHWT size matters campaign