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150 reasons Canadians love Canadian eggs and egg farmers

June 19, 2017 By Egg Farmers of Canada

Like all Canadians, we’re celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday. And it has us thinking just how Canadian our eggs are and how proud we are to offer Canadians fresh, local, high-quality eggs. We know Canadians have a lot of reasons why they love Canadian eggs and love Canadian egg farmers. In fact, we can think of 150 reasons! So in honour of Canada’s milestone birthday, we’re sharing 150 reasons why Canadians love Canadian eggs and Canadian egg farmers:

Eggs have their own TV network.
There’s a World Egg Day!
Food trend experts predicted that 2017 would be the year of the egg yolk.
Our farmers are building Canada’s first net zero layer barn.
Eggs contain 6 grams of protein…
70 calories…
And are a rich source of nutrients like vitamins A, D, E and B12!
Eggs are produced in every province—and even in the Northwest Territories!
World-class research facilities, like the University of Guelph’s Arkell Poultry Research Station…
… and world-class researchers like Dr. Tina Widowski.
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We won the International Egg Commission’s 2016 Crystal Egg Award!
Salads, sauces, cookies, cakes, stratas, frittatas and more—the possibilities are endless!
Eggs are perfect for weekend or weekday breakfast.
Brunch.
We share egg-ceptional recipes and foodie inspiration on Instagram. Follow us at @eggsoeufs.
Chefs love eggs—they’re always in season and always in style!
We have special programs to help welcome new egg farmers into the industry.
The environmental footprint of Canada’s egg production supply chain declined by almost 50% between 1962 and 2012…
… while egg production increased by 50%!
Between 1962 and 2012, egg farming used 81% less land.
And 41% less energy.
And 69% less water!
In that time period, we contributed 61% fewer emissions to acid rain…
…68% fewer emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus…
…and 72% fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
Eggs can go a long way to fighting malnutrition in developing countries.
The humble egg adds a sustainable source of protein to more than 888,000 meals per year in Swaziland.
Every culture in the Canadian mosaic has a different way of cooking with eggs.
Like French shirred eggs.
Or Scotch Eggs from Scotland (with an East Coast twist).
Or India’s version of scrambled eggs, akoori!
Or “China’s best kept culinary secret,” jianbing – Chinese crêpes.
Or a made-in-Canada classic, the butter tart.
With so many egg-cellent recipes, we pinned them all on Pinterest!
We’re a young industry powered by the next generation of talented egg farmers—like the ten men and women of our young farmers program.
More young Canadians are building a rewarding career in egg farming. Close to 30% of our farmers are under the age of 45.
Eggs fuel top-notch Canadian athletes.
Farmers produce billions of fresh, local eggs every year.
Canadian egg farmers volunteered their time to build an egg farm in Swaziland…
…sharing knowledge and expertise.
Egg farmers are doing their part to make sure Canada has food sovereignty.
Canada’s system of supply management perpetuates family farms.
We’re working with Dr. Nathan Pelletier, our Research Chair in Sustainability, to make our industry even more environmentally friendly.
Experts like Mike the Chicken Vet travel the country taking care of hens.
We’ve expanded Heart for Africa’s Project Canaan with a new egg barn, supporting nearby villages with a local source of nutritious eggs.
Our farmers care for their hens by following a national Animal Care Program, which includes inspections and third-party audits.
They meet world-class on-farm food safety standards thanks to the Start Clean-Stay Clean^® program.
As one egg farmer put it, “we’re improving people’s lives by doing what we do. We’re doing good by doing all of this.”
Egg farmers are more than 1,000+ strong, supporting communities across Canada.
From classic white and brown eggs to free range and free run to organic, omega-3 and vitamin D enhanced, egg farmers provide Canadians with choices.
Our industry is growing! 2016 marked a decade of continuous growth.
Like all Canadians, we’re excited to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday!
We’re proud to be a part of a sector that does so much to provide our country with nutritious and delicious food.
There are so many fun, helpful websites and apps for egg lovers to enjoy…
… including our very own Get Cracking. It’s the go-to source for all the recipes, tips and info you need to get the most from eggs.
Try out our Egg Timer app to cook the perfect eggs every time.
Sometimes we’re so inspired by eggs that we remix classic songs.
We can poach an egg like a pro.
Eggs are full of choline and a great food to eat during pregnancy!
Eggs help give kids a healthy start. One study found that hunger was reduced overall when children ate a higher-protein egg-based breakfast…
… and another study found that children who eat higher-protein egg-based breakfasts ate fewer calories at lunch.
Introducing whole eggs early in a child’s diet can reduce their chances of developing an egg allergy.
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We put social responsibility at the heart of everything we do.
More than 3 million eggs donated each year to food banks, breakfast programs and charitable groups.
We’re a proud supporter of Breakfast Club of Canada in their mission to ensure every child gets the breakfast they deserve.
We send sixteen tonnes of powdered eggs—the equivalent of 1.27 million eggs—abroad as part of Canadian Food For Children’s life-saving food shipments.
We’re a proud partner of Food Banks Canada.
We’re always delighted to give Canadians an inside and up close look at what we do.
Some incredible Canadian chefs love to cook with eggs, including Craig Flinn, who says eggs are “inherently Canadian.”
Canadians eat 5 eggs for every cup of Tim Horton’s coffee they drink.
The Vancouver Olympics were projected to create $4.1 billion in economic activity across British Columbia, right through to 2015… the same amount of economic activity generated by Canada’s Egg Economy
Through supply management, Canadians are guaranteed access to a supply of fresh, local, high-quality eggs…
…and the system is run by Canadian farmers!
Canadian eggs come from family farms who have operated for generations. Some farmers are the 10th generation to farm!
Tax revenues from the Egg Economy in Ontario could (theoretically) support another extra 30,000 surgeries every year, based on the example of Ottawa’s CHEO.
Quebec gains more than $83 million in tax revenue from the Egg Economy—about what their government is paying for a new fleet of subway cars in Montreal.
British Columbia gains nearly $55 million in tax revenue from the Egg Economy–the same price as a new high school opening in Surrey.
Farmers have creative ideas, like Andrew Campbell’s #Farm365.
Eggs are made by Canadians, for Canadians—something we know makes Canadians proud!
After all, 9 out of 10 Canadians say it’s important that their eggs come from Canada.
With your help, we raised nearly $60,000 for the Fort McMurray relief effort after fires devastated the city.
Eggs are more Canadian than hockey. No, really.
We’re on Twitter sharing news, recipes and everything you want to know about eggs. Follow us at @eggsoeufs!
We have lots of great tips, like how to store eggs and keep them fresh…
… or how to cook the perfect hard-boiled egg…
… or how to poach the perfect egg…
… really, just about any set of instructions you could imagine on achieving perfect eggs.
According to Canada’s food guide, two eggs equal one serving from the meats and alternatives food group.
Our farmers feed their hens a nutritious, balanced diet of grains, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals.
We help you prepare delicious meals in less than a minute with the Microwave Egg Cooker.
Eggs help fuel Canada’s own Marathon Mom, Krista DuChene… including when she competed at the Rio Olympics.
Because what would Christmas and Easter be without eggs?
We host fun events with delicious food, like the Downtown Diner in Ottawa.
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You’ll find videos you can’t afford to miss on EggcentricTV, like egg expert Lynn Crawford and her Spicy Chorizo and Tomato Frittata with Pepper Jack Cheese recipe.
You can also meet some of our egg farmers, like Dan Kampen from British Columbia.
Or Stephanie Nanne, a seventh generation farmer from Perth, Ontario.
We have some of the highest standards for food safety and animal care in the world.
Our young farmer program means young egg farmers come together from across the country to work together and share best practices.
Eggs are always in season and travel from the farm to the store within less than a week.
For Canadian egg farmers, the #1 job is taking good care of their hens.
Eggs are an ideal source of iron because the iron in eggs is easily absorbed by the body.
You can find eggs playing a fascinating role throughout history and mythology—in fact, we wrote a whole story about it.
Adding eggs to colourful salads increases the amount of nutrients your body absorbs.
Top athletes, like Mitchell Islam who represented Canada at the Sochi Olympics, love to start the day with eggs.
Patrice Bergeron, once called “pound for pound… the best player in the NHL,” loves to start his day with an omelette.
Superstar alpine skier Valerie Grenier is on her way to competing in the Olympics… and she was raised on an egg farm!
What did farming teach Valerie Grenier? “Work on the farm is hard but gratifying… there will be setbacks but you can never give up.” Sounds like the attitude of an Olympic champion.
Hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser, “the female Gordie Howe”, says eggs are important to her as a high-performance athlete and as a mom.
We’re building our own egg encyclopedia, from E to Z!
Eggs are one of the few foods considered to be a complete protein. They contain all 9 essential amino acids.
We worked with Dr. Nathan Pelletier to analyze the environmental impact of our entire industry life cycle, from the barn to the store.
Pelletier’s next project? Creating new tools and techniques to green the Canadian egg farming industry even further.
Our people are committed to their communities, one egg, or a dozen, at a time.
Our farmers love what they do!
Nathaniel Visser, an Albertan egg farmer, loves the farming lifestyle.
Jon Krahn, an egg farmer in the Fraser Valley, sees a strong future for the industry.
Julie Morin, an egg farmer in Quebec, calls eggs “the perfect food.”
Egg farmers like Justin Dunphy of New Brunswick enjoy the opportunity to work with family.
Nova Scotia’s Blake Jennings agrees that egg farming is a family business. He says: “it’s nice to carry on what our family did. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
PEI’s Stephanie Simmons points out that eggs can be produced year-round.
“We’re producing a product that everyone wants, and every day is different.”
We’re working hard so more and more Canadians know where their eggs come from.
Canadians are buying more and more eggs every year!
We like to make adorable graphics from time to time.
We like yoking around!
You aren’t the first person to love eggs. In fact, humans have been eating eggs for more than 3,000 years.
Our friends at Egg Farmers of Ontario have an omelette-making video game. No, really.
You can buy a dozen eggs, the most complete protein source available, for less than the price of a latte!
We help you celebrate the holidays with cheerful recipes for any occasion.
We’re proud to be part of what some are calling “a turning point in Canada for the next agricultural revolution.”
We value innovation, and are funding research at leading universities across Canada.
By working with the International Egg Commission, Canadian egg farmers are connected to their peers around the world.
We’re committed to bringing the transformative power of eggs across the globe.
We think eggs are the perfect food: perfectly nutritious and perfectly versatile.
Eggs are a great source of folate.
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We love egg trivia, and we’ve collected a lot of it.
For example: the world’s heaviest chicken egg was laid in New Jersey, and weighed 454 grams (eight times as big as a large egg in Canada).
Here’s one that might give you a stomach ache: the world record for most hard-boiled eggs eaten in one sitting is 141 eggs in 8 minutes.
This is our favourite: 2 trillion eggs are produced for eating every year, around the world.
We are creating a sustainable industry now and into the future through evidence based decisions.
We love helping Canadians wake up to yellow and the natural goodness of eggs!
You can serve eggs sunny side up.
When stored properly, hard-cooked eggs keep for up to 1 week. Talk about a time-saver!
Canada is home to the world’s largest gaming industry per capita… and Canadian egg farming employs about as many people as the video gaming industry.
Canada’s egg economy creates 18,500 jobs from coast to coast.
If you take the $1.28 billion Canada’s Egg Economy adds to our GDP, convert it to loonies and line them up end-to-end, the loonies would nearly stretch around the entire circumference of the Earth.
Our industry fuels small towns and villages across the country, and feeds urban consumers’ appetites for locally produced food.
Eggs are inspiring back-to-basics cooking trends, and world class chefs like Lynn Crawford can’t get enough of them!
At the end of the day, egg farmers are so proud to be Canadian…
… and are honoured to serve Canadians every day!