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Egg trends in the UK

Egg trends in the UK

GfK study with Hartmann shows shoppers favour free range, organic and eco packaging.

Published 27 February 2023

What do UK shoppers want from their eggs? Hartmann’s latest GfK study shows clear preferences: free range is king, organic interest is rising, and recyclable packaging matters more than ever. For producers and retailers, the insights point the way forward. Read the full story below.

Following our 2022 survey of the UK egg market, we’re once again sharing some key learnings from the qualitative GfK study of grocery shoppers for the benefit of producers, egg marketers and retailers. This is our 2nd UK study, the previous one having been in 2016.

The UK’s consumption level of organic and barn eggs is relatively low, whilst appetite for free range eggs is high. In fact, the UK has the highest free range egg consumption in Europe, and the comparatively low level of Don’t know (11%) answers highlights the fact that the vast majority of consumers are making a conscious purchase choice. Buying 4.0 eggs per person, per week, the UK is amongst the top markets for weekly egg purchases.

Perception of organic products in the UK market

Organic eggs are currently more popular than they were in 2016 – and are now the second most likely type of eggs to be bought after free range. Organic products are seen on the one hand to be positive for the environment, but on the other, they’re considered overpriced. This negative attitude is a likely inhibitor of growth in the UK, although (since 1 in 5 don’t understand the difference between organic and other products), a programme of education may help improve attitudes. Overall, future inclination towards purchasing organic products is largely positive or neutral.

All consumer segments are open to new ideas

More than half of the consumers in the UK can be classified as highly-engaged segments - i.e. 51% are interested in egg products, are very interested in knowing more about the egg and its origin, and have a comprehensive opinion about what they want to consume. Overall, all segments in the UK - even the medium (28%) or less (21%) engaged segments - agree on the topic of climate protection and the UK also scores highest of all tested markets on the importance of recyclable packaging.

Global warming and climate protection is everyones´s business

The CO2 neutral option is a powerful concept which can be used by producers to increase sales of top-value products or brands. In our study the areas tested for the concept were:

Appeal: 79%
Uniqueness (new and different): 59%
Relevance: 66%
(Unpriced) purchase intent 70%