We've become the first supermarket to launch 'Planet Friendly Eggs', coming from carbon neutral production on farm, as part of our commitment to be directly supplied by ‘zero emission’ British farms by 2030.

Our new ‘Planet Friendly Eggs’ can be found in store now

Costing £1.50 for six, and initially available in 50 Yorkshire stores and Morrisons new lower environmental impact store in Little Clacton, the launch follows a 10 month ‘on farm’ trial.

Here the hens are fed a soya-free diet of insects* which provide nutrient rich and natural food. The insects in turn are fed on food waste from Morrisons bakery, fruit and vegetable sites - a groundbreaking ‘circular waste’, powered by Better Origin technology**, feeding scheme which reduces deforestation caused by soya production and eliminates carbon emissions created through transporting this soya. The hen’s diet is also supplemented with locally grown grains to reduce feed miles.

The Yorkshire egg farm where the first stock of Planet Friendly Eggs will originate has a large wind turbine, 50kWh of solar panels, and a carbon programme to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and counterbalance any remaining emissions on the farm inclu its land planted with trees. 

Sophie Throup, Head of Agriculture at Morrisons, said:

“This is our first farm to deliver carbon neutral eggs and there will be many more to come; all part of our drive to be directly supplied only by ‘zero emission’ British farms by 2030. We know our customers consider the environmental impact of the food they eat and want affordable zero emission produce. Eggs are a regular weekly purchase for most households and so we’re thrilled that after 18 months of hard work with our farmers - these eggs are finally hitting our shelves.”

A report by the University of Cambridge*** has confirmed the carbon neutral status of Morrisons new Planet Friendly Eggs, having analysed all carbon emissions in the eggs’ production and those which are offset on Morrisons first carbon neutral egg farm. The eggs are also set to be the first to feature the British Lion Egg green stamp**** to indicate the lower environmental impact to customers.

Ian Bamford, Commercial Director Centre for Industrial Sustainability at the University of Cambridge,  said:

“We were very pleased to have the opportunity to review and analyse the approach that Morrisons have taken to calculating the carbon impact of several of their egg producers. It was clear that the mitigation actions that had been put in place by the first farm to produce carbon neutral eggs enabled them to meet that goal.”

References:

* Insects are a natural part of a bird's ancestral diets and wild birds forage for insects, as they are nutritious and rich in essential amino acids and healthy fats. They have no detrimental impact on the quality, taste or shelf life of the hen’s eggs. In time, there will be up to 320,000 free range hens on Morrisons farms that can lay millions of carbon neutral eggs each year. 

An insect ‘mini farm’ was introduced onto the egg farm to feed the hens. The ‘mini farm’ container, in which millions of insects are kept, was developed by agritech company Better Origin. Each container can help feed 32,000 free range hens and receives three tonnes of waste from Morrisons fruit and vegetable site each week. The insects can grow to 5,000 times their initial body mass in less than 14 days. 

Soya typically accounts for 10-20% of a hen’s normal diet. Up to 70% of the emissions from the UK’s supply chain for chicken  is attributed to feed, of which soya is a major contributor. Reducing soya and feeding insects food waste on initial 10 farms alone is expected to save 56 hectares of South American land from deforestation every year, where half of the world’s soybean is currently farmed. It will also reduce CO² emissions by 5,737 tonnes and save  40 billion litres of water annually. 

** Better Origin is a Cambridge based British start-up and agritech company that helps fix broken food chains with AI-powered insect mini-farms inspired by waste cycles found in nature.

*** Analysis of Morrisons Egg Carbon Calculation System   a report by the Centre for Industrial Sustainability (CIS), based at the Institute for Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge. https://www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/research/industrial-sustainability/industrial-sustainability-projects/morrisons-egg-carbon-calculation-system/

**** All eggs that carry the British Lion mark meet the stringent requirements of the British Lion Code of Practice which ensure the highest standards of food safety.  

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