The British Lion Egg Processors Association has organized a petition signed by 30,000 consumers to require supermarket chains to use British eggs in house-branded products.  The petition is supported by members of Parliament and by celebrity influencers.

Andrew Joret, British Egg Industry Council Chairman, stated “To have more than 30,000 signatures calling on retailers to use British eggs for food made in Britain shows the public’s strength of feeling.”  He added, “We expect the number of signatures to keep rising until the supermarkets demonstrate their willingness to commit to British eggs.”

Surveys of consumers have elicited concerns over the quality and safety of eggs and egg liquid imported from E.U. nations. This is based on recent outbreaks of salmonellosis attributed to eggs imported from Poland.  Most shell eggs marketed in the U.K. bear the British Egg Industry Council Lion Quality Imprint that corresponds closely to the requirements imposed by leading U.S. State Egg Quality Assurance Programs. The survey confirmed that most consumers would preferentially select a product bearing the Lion Quality Egg Products seal denoting adherence to an industry code of practice.