Chicken Egg

Chicken eggs are one of the most versatile and widely consumed foods in the world. A standard hen’s egg consists of a protective shell, a white (albumen) rich in protein, and a yolk containing fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Beyond eating directly — boiled, fried, scrambled, poached — eggs are a foundational ingredient in baking, sauces, pasta, and countless other preparations, where they serve as binders, leaveners, emulsifiers, and glazes.

Egg production is one of Australia’s largest agricultural industries. Australians consume roughly 260 eggs per person per year. The Australian market has undergone a significant shift toward cage-free production, driven by consumer demand and state-level legislation phasing out battery cages. As of the mid-2020s, free-range and barn-laid eggs account for a growing majority of retail sales.

Farmed Source
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's produced

Laying hens in Australia are raised under three main production systems: caged, barn (cage-free indoor), and free-range (indoor with outdoor access). Conventional caged systems house hens in small enclosures with automated feed and egg collection. Barn systems allow hens to move freely indoors. Free-range systems provide daytime access to outdoor ranging areas, though stocking densities vary — Australian consumer law defines free-range as a maximum of 10,000 hens per hectare of outdoor space.

Hens begin laying at around 18 to 20 weeks of age and typically produce eggs for 12 to 18 months before production declines. Eggs are collected daily, washed, graded by size and quality using automated candling and weighing equipment, and packed for distribution. Australia’s egg industry is self-sufficient, with minimal imports or exports.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈4.7kg
Freshwater ≈578L
Land ≈6.3m²

≈ Estimated from its category — typical for eggs, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →

What comes from this

Boiled omega-3 enriched egg (omega-3 enriched feed and boiling) Dried whole egg (spray drying) Eggnog (blending with milk, sugar, and cream) Fresh raw egg Fried egg (frying) Fried egg, no added fat (frying without added fat) Frozen scrambled egg mixture (scrambling and freezing) Hard-boiled egg (hard-boiling) Hard-boiled egg (hard-boiling) Large Grade A whole egg Liquid whole egg (shelling and homogenising into liquid) Omega-3 egg (omega-3 enriched production) Omelette (beating and pan-cooking as omelet) Pasteurised frozen raw whole egg (pasteurization and freezing) Pasteurised frozen raw whole egg (pasteurization and freezing) Poached egg (poaching) Poached egg (poaching) Powdered egg (spray drying) Raw egg Raw omega-3 enriched egg (omega-3 enriched feed, raw/none) Salted pasteurised frozen raw whole egg (salting, pasteurization, and freezing) Scrambled egg (scrambling) Scrambled egg (scrambling) Scrambled eggs with full-cream milk (scrambling with cow's milk, no added fat) Stabilised glucose-reduced dried whole egg (glucose reduction, stabilization, and spray drying) Tea egg (tea-steeped hard-boiled egg) (boiling and steeping in tea and spices) Chicken Egg, product (extracted)
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