Since 1998, egg consumption in many countries has been increasing at a slower pace than the four per cent gains witnessed during the mid-1980s. A decrease in egg consumption by developed countries has contributed to the general slower year-on-year increase. Egg consumption is also subject to different types of food scare, such as salmonella and, recently, the avian flu, which poses a threat to the free-range egg industry.
Elsevier Food International, Vol. 9, Number 3, September 2006

China is the number one egg producer in the world. In 1991, China produced nine million tonnes of eggs, a figure that rose to 26 million tonnes in 2003. Leading the world in total egg consumption, China is one of the world’s largest per capita egg consumers at 17.6.3 kilos per person in 2004, after Denmark (19.7 kilos), Japan (19.1 kilos), the Netherlands (17.8 kilos) and Hungary (17.7 kilos). While per capita consumption of eggs has been declining in Japan in recent years, China’s per capita consumption has been steadily increasing. Poultry egg consumption in China is expected to increase, as there is no obvious substitute.

In the Americas, the US (17 kilos in 2004) and Mexico (15.4 kilos) are the largest egg consumers. Low egg consumers include India (2 kilos per capita in 2004), South Africa (6.2 kilos), Brazil (7.2 kilos), Australia (8.0 kilos) and Ireland (8.1 kilos). A key trend in developed countries is consumer demand for free-range and organic eggs, particularly in the UK, with sales of free-range and organic eggs increasing over the last few years. The figures for the year ending in September 2005 show that in volume terms, 30 per cent of the UK egg market is free-range and three per cent is organic, with the combined figure for both expected to reach 50 per cent by 2012. In terms of value, free-range egg sales (47 per cent of total egg sales) have now overtaken cage hen eggs (46 per cent), with barn eggs accounting for the remainder. Retailers such as Marks & Spencer and Waitrose have introduced a policy of only using free-range eggs in their food assortments.

Souce: Promar International Ltd from diverse trade sources