Celebrate #WorldEggDay with 10 need-to-know facts
By Egg Farmers of CanadaFriday, October 14 is World Egg Day, a worldwide celebration of the humble egg. In Canada, World Egg Day is the perfect time to recognize the valuable contribution the egg sector makes to the Canadian economy and celebrate the hardworking farmers who bring eggs from farm to plate.
This World Egg Day, we’re sharing our top 10 need-to-know facts about Canadian eggs and egg farmers. And of course, it wouldn’t be a celebration without some incredible recipes created by our renowned chef ambassadors, featuring fresh, local, high-quality eggs.
Read on to discover what you need to know about Canada’s egg sector, and grab the links to the latest World Egg Day recipes.
1. There are more than 1,200 farming families across Canada who work year-round to produce the eggs Canadian families love and trust.
2. Eggs are an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals, and a great source of protein. Canada’s Food Guide recommends 25% of your food intake consists of protein, and eggs are an easy, delicious protein option.
3. The Egg Quality Assurance™ mark, or EQA®, verifies that your Canadian eggs are produced in accordance with strict food safety and animal welfare standards—some of the highest in the world.
4. Introducing eggs to kids as young as six months can reduce their chances of developing an egg allergy. With so many ways to serve them, eggs can be a fun way for babies to explore solid foods.
5. The Canadian system of supply management supports food security by bringing added stability to food production and helping protect supply chains from disruptions and shocks.
6. Eggs are more than a delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner: they are also part of cutting-edge research. For example, research is ongoing into how egg whites can be used in bio-scaffolding, an important part of tissue regeneration that can be used to treat a variety of illnesses.
7. Egg farmers are leaders in the sustainability movement. Over 50 years, the egg industry’s environmental footprint decreased by almost 50%. This was achieved through a number of activities including reducing water, land and energy use and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
8. Canadian egg farmers are farming a sustainable future. Egg Farmers of Canada created the National Environmental Sustainability Tool (NEST) as the first sustainability assessment tool developed specifically for Canadian egg farmers.
9. Canadian egg famers follow a national Animal Care Program to ensure hens receive the highest standards in animal care, with input from animal welfare experts, scientists, veterinarians and government and industry representatives.
10. Can you say delicious? Many of the best Canadian chefs love experimenting with innovative ways to add eggs to their meals. Some of our favourites include:
- Chef Minh’s Egg Drop Soup with Corn and Chicken
- Chef Craig Flinn’s Pea Basil Soup with Crab Royale
- Chef Dale MacKay’s Potato Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Basil
- Chef Lynn Crawford’s Apple Orchard Crumb Cake
How will you and your family participate in this year’s World Egg Day? Whether you’re creating new egg recipes in the kitchen, painting beautiful designs on blown-out shells (why should Easter get all the decor love?!), or perhaps reading Humpty Dumpty as a bedtime story, share your love of eggs and egg farmers with us using the hashtag #WorldEggDay.
For more fun, be sure to visit our YouTube channel to watch this year’s World Egg Day video.