Whether you’re baking, decorating or eating them, there is no denying that eggs are a huge part of the Easter season, growing in popularity and consumption every year. Everything revolves around coloured eggs, chocolate eggs, Easter biscuits or the symbol of the Easter bunny. Egg consumption rises sharply in the days around Easter, down to many families believing they cannot do without the colourful Easter eggs.

In Europe, per capita egg consumption is about 13,8 kg. Worldwide, egg production continues to grow: Within 10 years, it has increased by nearly 25%. The biggest egg producer by far is China with around one third of the world production, followed by the EU, USA and India, and these 4 produce almost 60% of the world’s eggs. This means that the top 10 egg producers account for more than 3⁄4 of the world’s egg production.

Not all eggs are produced locally and are imported instead. In Germany, for example, only 73% of the eggs supplied at Easter are from Germany, and so much of the egg supply is dependent on imports: mostly from the Netherlands, followed by Poland, where cage farming is predominantly used. Imports of cooked eggs, including coloured eggs, are even sourced from third countries such as China, where little to none animal welfare laws and regulations exist.¹