The question of who are the good eggs of the food industry has been cracked – and there are 38 of them. And of those 38, six have been recognised as outstanding in the sectors in which they operate.
The Royal New Zealand SPCA Blue Tick and Compassion in World Farming have partnered to present the inaugural Good Egg Awards in New Zealand.
The awards recognise food industry businesses that support animal welfare and act in sustainable and responsible ways by sourcing cage-free eggs throughout the supply chain. More than 180,000 New Zealand layer hens are set to benefit this year as a result of the Good Egg Award winners policies to date.
The awards were presented by celebrity chef, Peter Gordon and judged by Robyn Kippenberger, national CEO of the Royal New Zealand SPCA and Katy Read from Compassion in World Farming.
Kippenberger says the awards have been a great success with a record number of entries. “It’s plain to see that there are many, many New Zealand businesses cottoning on to the benefits of tapping in to the concerns felt by consumers about cage farming and the maltreatment of food-producing animals.
“An example is the Traill Group of McDonald’s stores based in the South Island– they use 1.9 million free-range eggs each year but charge no more. They rely on consumer education and improved taste to add value to increase turnover and the reputation of their McDonald’s brand.”
The Library Café and Function Venue was acknowledged not only for its on-going commitment to educating customers but also for its support of a local developing egg producer.
“They focus on educating customers through information but most importantly taste. For many people the first time they get won over by free-range eggs is the taste and small cafés such as The Library can make a big difference in spreading the message. And at 4,000 eggs a month that’s a lot of tasty eggs,” Kippenberger maintains.
The Good Egg Awards are open to food industry organisations and farmers based in New Zealand sourcing and producing eggs only from cage-free hens. Producers, bakeries, cafés, restaurants, caterers or manufacturing businesses that improve the lives of layer hens raised in the supply chain may enter.
“We are extremely proud to be able to extend our SPCA Blue Tick programme by introducing the Good Egg Awards project to New Zealand business,” says Kippenberger.
“The awards go a long way to extending the reach of the SPCA Blue Tick programme into the commercial arena. We believe consumers are very much aware of the need to protect the welfare of hens and that producers and retailers will benefit from the focus on humane farming.”
“Consumers have told us they want the Blue Tick as they can trust the SPCA brand,” says Royal New Zealand SPCA national accreditation and marketing manager, Juliette Banks. “We are being asked to expand it into restaurants, cafés and manufactured goods. This is of great interest to us at the SPCA because the manufacturing and hospitality industries use significantly more eggs and thus free many more hens from cages.”
The New Zealand Good Egg Award 2011 recipients (sector winners in bold) were:
Retail sector
- Huckleberry Farms, Auckland and online
- Moore Wilson Fresh, Wellington
- I E Produce, Auckland and online
- Down to Earth, New Plymouth
- Hill Street Farmers’ Market, Wellington
- Farro Fresh Food, Auckland and Hamilton
- Lievito Bakery, Dunedin
- Arcadia Organics Shop and Café, Motueka
- Chantal Foods, Napier
Café sector
- Ripe Deli, Auckland
- Queenie’s Lunchroom, Auckland
- The Luscious Foodstore, Auckland
- The Good Earth Café Ltd, Dunedin
- Ella Café & Lounge, Auckland
- The Library Café and Function Venue, Auckland
- Eggsentric Café & Restaurant, Coromandel
- Triniti of Silver Café, Auckland
- Bloom Café, Auckland
- Ti Kouka Café, Wellington
- Meow, Wellington
Restaurant sector
- Skycity Entertainment Group – Dine by Peter Gordon, Rebo Café & Bar, Terraces Restaurant at the Grand Hotel, Auckland
- Andiamo Restaurant & Bar Ltd, Auckland
- Logan Brown, Wellington
- Southern Cross Garden Bar Restaurant, Wellington
- The Commercial Hotel, Murchison
- Clearview Estate, Hawke’s Bay
Farmer/producer sector
- Wyenova Organic Farm, Christchurch
- Sunset Free Range Poultry, Auckland
- FRENZ Free Range Eggs, Auckland
- Kirkfield Family Farm, Gisbourne
- Henergy Cage Free, Masterton
- Wairarapa Eggs, Wairarapa
- The Flying Fox, Whanganui
Food manufacturer/service sector
- Kokako, nationwide
- The lovely little food co – I love pies, nationwide
- Julie Biuso, Auckland
Takeaway restaurant sector
- McDonald’s Traill Group of Restaurants – South Island (Merivale McDonald’s, Riccarton McDonald’s, Hornby McDonald’s, Hillmorton McDonald’s, Northlands Mall McDonald’s, The Palms Mall McDonald’s and Westfield Riccarton Mall McDonald’s), South Island
- Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers, nationwide
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