On the tables of the Pennsylvania Dutch, a culture group of ethnic German immigrant families existing and situated around farming lands in Pennsylvania, there is one dish amongst many which is almost always served, filling. It is made mainly from Parsley, Bread, eggs, and onions. Eggs are a quintessential part of this dish, and in many dishes across the world. Whether in an African village, a French Catfé, a Chinese inn, or an American Diner, eggs are served year round. Chickens are able to Produce an egg once every 25 hours and there are flocks ranging from 5 to a million chickens on subsistence farms, factory farms, and even in family backyards. The egg is common yet controversial, and basic yet its production is complex.
The agricultural industry expresses a multidimensional series of processes and markets filled with special interest groups and commercial propaganda, all strung together in a spiral of history and politics. Filling is typically made with eggs bought at a grocery store or from a chicken in the family coop. To the average consumer, an egg is a simple ovular object found in almost every kitchen and supermarket throughout the world. Consumers’ personal beliefs and impressions aside, a holistic perspective on how that singular ingredient makes it froma chicken to your dining room shows in great depth that there is more behind the egg than what is written on the package.
Eggs are produced all over the world, whether it be in factory operations or subsistence farms. The majority of eggs consumed by Americans and others in countries boasting commercialized agricultural systems come from “In-Line Processing” and Production ona large scale. This “In-Line” method refers to how the chickens are stacked and lined in cages with the eggs falling from the chicken onto a conveyor belt. This then leads the egg to a larger belt outside of the cage building and gathers eggs from all of the chicken houses on the property, leading to a processing facility for cleaning and packaging. This process creates an efficient system for moving the egg from inside of a chicken, to a grocery store in the matter ofa few days. Paralleled with this modern method comes scientific developments to alter the eggs through supplements in the chickens’ food. Gamma-aminobutyric acid, one such dietary supplement, when given to chickens showed an increase in e8g size, shell strength, and an enhanced color of the yolk.
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Another aspect of egg production is the age of the chickens in use. Chickens produce eggs with low solid content, perfect for typical shelled eggs, in their youngest and oldest stages of life, while middle aged chickens’ eggs have a higher solid content, better used for liquid egg production. There are however a series of ethical issues surrounding the cage method of holding chickens and gathering eggs. Ma believe cramped cages, food supplementing, and antibiotic treatment to be inhumane due to the unnatural side effects seen on the chickens they are used on. Costco, a wholesale store that carries eggs, once vowed to move away from purchasing eggs through factory farmers however recent reports have the public Outraged over their lack of carrying through on this promise. This exemplifies the niches in the egg market discussed later.
Eggs are then transported from the farms to store shelves using food trucks. They are required to be kept in cool air starting 36 hours after being laid. The U.S. Department of commerce requires that vehicles transporting food must only carry food”. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is dedicated to food security and procuring information about food products and their global sustainability”. They provide standards and explanations for egg packaging including specific labeling and quality packages ensuring protection for consumers.
These protect against harmful micro-organisms, loss of moisture, and other deteriorating circumstances. The eggs are then distributed to local grocery stores and priced according to the current supply available and the demand of consumers. This mass distribution of eggs creates a large carbon footprint. As a result of chicken food production and transportation, byproducts of chicken houses, processing eggs, and transporting them to stores, supply chain emissions are immense”. However without these emissions and lack of a better method, eggs may not be as readily available. Also, due to eggs not truly requiring refrigeration to provide freshness, eggs can be sustained all over the world from laying to consumption for up to three months”. This creates an advantage for those who have egg laying birds for their own consumption, meaning they would not need a vast amount of chickens to have a continuing egg supply.
In the marketing for eggs, shading is prevalent. Due to a vast movement to expose the livestock industry’s dirty secrets including the alleged inhumane treatment of animals via abnormal antibiotic treatment and harmful food supplements. Often times found on packaging is a picture ofa chicken roaming freely in the fields or resting in a warm small scale chicken coop. This overshadows the darkness within, and provides the consumer with a happier image of egg production. Distancing is also seen far too often in the industry, as consumers learn more about the treatment of poultry livestock on farms, eggs continue to fly off the shelves. However, this is in part due to the egg industry’s push back against animal welfare groups and the nutritionally conscience. Because of increased attention on consumer health, on environmental concerns and in issues from the animal welfare groups, designer and specialty eggs are niches in the egs market. Organic eggs, range eggs, cage-free eggs and omega 3 eggs are some examples of niches that are of interest and have experienced growth in the marketplace. Although the market for eggs and consumers desires are constantly changing, eggs have always had and will continue to manifest high utility for all of mankind.
Through examining an individual food item via its production, distribution, and consumption stages, a consumer becomes infinitely greater educated on the product that they buy and or eat on a consistent basis. The egg, an essential breakfast item and ingredient in many cultures and styles of cuisine embodies a deep well of agriculture and food industry politics and marketing.
