Meeting consumer needs through transparency
Canadians’ food preferences are always changing. From the type of products they're interested in, right down to the labels and packaging, grocery shoppers are looking for goods that meet their growing standards and evolving needs.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a shift in consumer preferences towards locally-sourced goods, especially when it comes to eggs. A recent survey, facilitated by the Egg Farmers of Canada (EFC), found that 2 out of 3 Canadians believe it is now more important than ever that the eggs they buy come from Canada. What they may not know is that Canadian eggs are always produced locally, according to the highest standards of food safety and animal welfare. To help grocery retailers communicate this, EFC launched the Egg Quality Assurance™ (EQA®) program. The EQA® mark shows Canadians, right on the carton, that no matter what type of eggs they choose, they are fresh, local, high-quality and produced according to the rigorous standards of EFC’s Start Clean-Stay Clean® program and Animal Care Program.
“Canadians are looking to make informed decisions when it comes to purchasing their food,” says Roger Pelissero, second-generation egg farmer and Chair of Egg Farmers of Canada. “While we can’t give every Canadian a tour inside our farms, we can demonstrate our commitment to producing eggs that meet the highest standards of food safety and animal welfare through the EQA® program.”
Since the launch of the EQA® certification program, more and more retailers are opting to leverage this important tool to highlight their local, made-in-Canada eggs. The easy-to-identify EQA® mark allows retailers to maintain consumer trust and showcase the industry’s collective commitment to delivering a high-quality product, produced by Canadian farmers.
To learn more about EQA® or how to use the mark, contact [email protected] or visit the retailer section of the eggquality.ca website.
1. EFC EQA® National Omnibus, November 2020