The EU prides itself on the strict regulations governing its commercial hen industry. These laws help to protect the environment, ensure food safety, and improve animal welfare standards.

One of the Commission’s most significant rulings in this sector was its 2012 ban on battery-caged eggs. In the EU, egg producers are required to use ‘enriched cages’, which provide each laying hen with at least 750cm² of space.

However, EU regulations have proved financially demanding on many egg producers. Earlier this year, Finnish food company Fazer Group said members of its egg supply chain made significant investments to meet these requirements. “Suppliers made a lot of investments [in their infrastructure]…and are still paying for those investments,” ​Fazer Group’s sustainability director Nina Eloomaa told FoodNavigator.