No synthetic colouring in feed

Eggs from hens in furnished cages

Per an industry-agreement within Swedish Egg production, synthetic colouring is not used in Swedish production. In other EU countries it is commonly used in production to give the yolk a colour which is appreciated by consumers. Market availability is high for whole shell eggs. Availability is less for other non-compund egg products and limited for compound products made of eggs.

The colour of the yolk varies between countries, primarily due to tradition and consumer preferences. All feed for laying hens in commercial production contains colouring in different quantities depending on the desired colour intensity of the yolk. Synthetic colourings, e.g. canthaxanthin (so-called R-phrases), used in feed for laying hens give the egg a brightly coloured yolk but do not improve the quality of the feed for the animal. Synthetic colourings can increase the risk of children developing allergies.

In Sweden, only natural colourings are found in laying hen feed, such as marigold, paprika flour, etc., in order to naturally colour the yolk, which can give the eggs a weaker yellow colour.

The version date indicates when the sustainability criterion was created or last updated. Last reviewed dated tells when we last checked that the sustainability criterion still is relevant.