Egg Market Trends and Opportunities in the U.S.

Consumers are especially looking to eggs with fresh eyes as a source of protein, a nutrient currently at the top of consumer must-have lists. Egg producers and retailers are diversifying eggs’ nutritional appeal through eggs with enhanced omega-3 levels as well as increased levels of other nutrients, even as the egg market will benefit from decreasing concerns about the level of cholesterol in foods. Marketers are also offering eggs for which the laying hens were given feed that was non-GMO, organic, or vegetarian, and responding to consumer demand for eggs from laying hens that have been raised under more humane conditions with products labeled as cage-free and free-range.

The egg market's biggest challenge likely comes from animal welfare advocates rousing consumers to continue demanding better conditions for the laying hens. The new normal of the social media environment does make it relatively easy to stir up consumer movements, and such a development could compel producers to invest in more wholesale reforms to current practices.

Packaged Facts’ report Egg Market Trends and Opportunities in the U.S. looks at the state of the market in the wake of the mid-2015 avian flu epidemic. The report reviews evolving consumer demand for high quality protein, the reemergence of breakfast as the most important meal of the day, breakfast sandwich and “breakfast all day” culinary trends, and the responses in grocery retailing and the foodservice industry to these developments. In addition, the report offers growth projections for egg sales in the U.S. and features the results of an exclusive Packaged Facts national online consumer survey regarding diet, nutrition, and food shopping patterns related to eggs.

Scope and Methodology

Market trends and market size estimates within Egg Market Trends and Opportunities in the U.S. are based on both public and syndicated data sources. Sales, market size, and consumer data sources drawn upon include:

• IRI sales tracking through U.S. supermarkets and grocery stores, drugstores, and mass merchandisers with annual sales of $2 million or more;
• U.S. Department of Agriculture reports;
• Public information provided by egg producers and the associations representing the egg industry, other food companies, grocery retailers, and foodservice operators.

Packaged Facts also draws on a proprietary Packaged Facts National Consumer Survey conducted in April 2015 with a sample size of 2,000 U.S. adults age 18+. The sample composition is representative of the national population by gender, age bracket, geographic region, race/ethnicity, household income bracket, and presence of children in the household. In addition, the report draws on data from the Experian Marketing Services Fall 2010-2014 Simmons NCS Adult Studies.