The British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) has launched a new campaign urging UK food manufacturers and retailers to stop using imported eggs in products made domestically, in an effort to align sourcing standards and protect the British egg sector.
The campaign is built around a manifesto that calls for the removal of imported eggs from UK-manufactured food, an end to the use of the Union Flag on products containing foreign eggs, mandatory country-of-origin labelling for eggs used in processed food, and a shift in government procurement policy to deprioritise suppliers that rely on imports.
According to the BEIC, many businesses continue to use imported eggs, often produced to lower standards, in processed foods while marketing shell eggs as British, a practice they say undermines domestic producers and increases supply chain emissions. The council warns that this approach reduces investment in UK production capacity and risks long-term food security.