Easington MP Grahame Morris has called for people to back the British Egg Council petition for supermarkets to use British eggs in foods labelled as made in Britain.

Research shows that while consumers put their trust in British supermarkets to sell safe products and be transparent with their sourcing, they are continuing to use a significant number of imported eggs in pre-prepared foods, such as quiche, egg sandwiches and salads, that do not meet the same safety standards as British Lion eggs.

A survey of 3,000 British shoppers on their attitudes towards the use of eggs and egg ingredients by major retailers showed overwhelming support for the increased use of British egg ingredients and clear labelling. With boxes of shell eggs on sale in the major retailers clearly produced to British Lion standards, consumers expect the egg ingredients will be too, but they are being misled as there is little or no information on pack to tell them otherwise.

The British egg industry is worth over £1.07 billion per year to the economy, and employs over 23,000 people both directly and indirectly.