DutchNews.nl - DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English

23 May 2025
Newsletter Donate Advertise
  • News
  • Life in the Netherlands
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
  • Search
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Art and culture
  • Sport
  • Europe
  • Society
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Housing
  • Education
  • News
    • Home
    • Economy
    • Art and culture
    • Sport
    • Europe
    • Society
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Education
  • Life in the Netherlands
    • Latest
    • Opinion
    • Books
    • Travel
    • 10 Questions
    • Learning Dutch
    • Inburgering with DN
    • Food & Drink
    • Ask us anything
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Advertise
    • Writing for Dutch News
    • Contact us
    • Privacy
    • Newsletter
  • Search

Brown eggs are disappearing from the supermarket shelves

May 8, 2024
Chickens on a factory farm. Photo: Depositphotos.com

Brown eggs are disappearing from Dutch supermarket shelves, partly because the German preference for cheaper and more sustainable white eggs is becoming the norm, the Telegraaf reported on Tuesday.

According to Henner Schönecke, the chairman of the German egg producers association, white hens, which lay mostly white eggs, live longer and are more productive.

It makes sense that white eggs will push the brown ones from the shelves, farm economics expert Peter van Horne told the paper. “Half of all Dutch eggs go to Germany and they want white eggs. It’s mostly because they are some 9% cheaper. It really doesn’t matter to the Germans if they are brown or white as long as they are cheaper,” he said.

The Dutch too, will want to pay less for their eggs, he said. “Consumers may grumble a bit because they think brown eggs are more natural or more animal friendly, but that stems from the time when free-range were brown and battery eggs white,” he said.

White hens have been bred to be smaller and lighter and to lay more eggs. They produce some 450 eggs in 18 months compared to brown hens which lay 380, Van Horne said. They also eat less which means they produce less unwanted CO2.

White hens are also less aggressive towards other hens and that increases animal welfare. “I really can’t think of a single argument in favour of brown eggs over white,” he said.

Lidl has been selling white eggs, provided by environmentally friendly egg producers Kipster for years while most of the eggs sold by market leader Albert Heijn are also white.

The supermarket giant will sell only white eggs in future to contribute to the company’s aim to reduce greenhouse gases by 45% compared to 2018, a spokesman for the supermarket chain said.

Chicken farmers’ union NVP commented that supermarkets favour white eggs but that chicken farmers don’t care one way or the other. “I couldn’t care less, we deliver what the market demands,” chairman Bart-Jan Oplaat commented.

Share this article
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Copy URL
Business Farming
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation
Latest
Show more
Fewer international students starting bachelor degrees in NL
MPs urge cabinet to join banned Pride march in Budapest
Dutch house prices up 10% on a year ago, latest figures show
Foundations and the future: what you need to think about
Highway to hell: confessions of a would-be Ring reveller
NewsHomeEconomyArt and cultureSportEuropeSocietyEnvironmentHealthHousingEducation
Life in the NetherlandsLatestOpinionBooksTravel10 QuestionsLearning DutchInburgering with DNFood & DrinkAsk us anything
About usTeamDonateAdvertiseWriting for Dutch NewsContact usPrivacyNewsletter
© 2025 DutchNews | Cookie settings

Help us to keep providing you information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days!

We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here.

The DutchNews.nl team

Donate now

Dutchnews Survey

Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey.

Take part now