Brown eggs and white eggs: an international conundrum

摘要

To a scientist who knows that the edible parts of white-shelled and brown-shelled eggs are identical, the presence of both in the market place has always seemed a puzzle. Why do people pay a premium for the brown shell, when the contents are the same? While it seems illogical, it is important to remember that consumer preferences and markets are driving the production system in an economically responsible way. Historically, there have long been regional preferences for one eggshell colour or the other. Rather than try to explain these (which would probably be impossible, and certainly fruitless), let's examine the effects they are having on the world's layer breeders. The best example of a market dominated by white eggs is the US. With the exception of the New England states, almost all eggs mass marketed in the US are white. Such brown eggs as do find their way onto the market do so in niches where the perceived advantages are important, for example in health food stores and in markets where organic food is sold. Because of the large US market for white eggs, the primary breeding companies developing layers who emerged in the last half of the twentieth century tended to concentrate first on these varieties.