Sainsbury’s has announced it will no longer sell brown eggs, switching to white eggs only — but is there any nutritional difference between the two, and does the colour of an egg really matter?Nicola Roy Spare Time writer and Laura Zilincanova
12:27, 09 Jul 2026
White and brown eggs look very different from the outside(Image: Olga Rolenko via Getty Images)
Following Sainsbury’s decision to abandon brown eggs and stock only white ones, numerous Britshave been questioning whether there’s any nutritional difference between the two varieties – and whether the move is a reason to change shops.
The reason behind the chain’s choice to switch to white eggs is their reported 12.7% lower carbon footprint when compared with brown eggs, based on Sainsbury’s own research. This is due to hens that produce white eggs consuming less feed while laying the same quantity of eggs, reducing the resources needed throughout the supply chain.
Feed production represents 50-60% of the environmental impact of egg farming.
Britain consumes approximately 14.5 billion eggs annually, generating an estimated 4.35 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in the process. If the entire sector achieved the same 12.7% reduction claimed by Sainsbury’s, emissions could drop by over 550,000 tonnes of CO2 each year, The Independent reports.
That’s roughly equivalent to taking nearly 300,000 cars off Britain’s roads, reports the Express.
White hens produce white eggs(Image: Getty)
But what about the difference in quality? For the majority of the 20th century, white eggs were standard in the UK. However, in the 1970s, brown eggs became the pinnacle of Britain’s middle class and dominated the market.
Today, most eggs sold are brown, and, as most presume, the darker the egg and the more vibrant the yolk, the superior the quality. In truth, there’s minimal difference between the two coloured eggs.
Influencer Sunna Van Kampen, known as @tonichealth, suggested in a TikTok video that the characteristic vivid orange yolks aren’t an indicator of quality, but instead a consequence of the chickens’ diet. Sunna, who has 8.5 million likes on the platform, said: “The reason why your yolks are so dark and orange… is because they feed [the hens] marigold and paprika.”
This was supported by a 2024 study published by the National Library of Medicine. “We found that paprika improved the color of the egg yolks and affected the hens’ blood cholesterol levels in different ways,” the study claims.
There is no nutritional difference between brown and white eggs(Image: Getty)
The shade of a yolk is mainly determined by pigments called carotenoids, which are found naturally in items such as maize, marigold, peppers and carrots. The shade of the egg shell depends on the breed of the hen. Generally, white hens lay white eggs and brown hens lay brown eggs.
There’s no nutritional difference between white and brown shelled eggs, according to British Lion Eggs.
What’s far more significant is examining the code stamped on the shell. Organic eggs carry a 0, free-range eggs a 1, barn eggs a 2 and eggs from caged hens a 3 – although all major supermarkets no longer stock caged hen eggs.
Ultimately, neither the shell colour nor the shade of the yolk reveals anything about the hen’s wellbeing or whether the egg will produce a better omelette. What it does indicate is that stocking white eggs is considerably more cost-effective for a supermarket chain such as Sainsbury’s – and maybe more environmentally friendly too.