The Happy Egg Company marketed on welfare

A new TV advertising campaign is set to hit the TV screens later this month promoting The Happy Egg Company brand, aimed at tapping into the increasing consumer interest in bird welfare.

Recent years have seen many well-known egg brands disappear from supermarket shelves to be replaced with supermarket “own labels”. This has left the supermarket egg display being dominated by the retailer’s own label packs.

As Rob Newell, brand manager stresses, as in other foods, brands act as the main catalysts for innovation. “They give consumers a reason to stop in the supermarket aisle and reappraise the variety of choices on offer.

“Our intention with the Happy Egg Company brand is to revolutionise eggs, delivering not only a standout product on the shelf which possesses real character, but also to interact with consumers in a meaningful way.

Mr Newell explains that the company was motivated by the increasing consumer awareness of animal welfare, helped in part by celebrity chef TV programmes, such as those by Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. “They have helped change buying behaviour, in eggs this means switching from purchasing cage to free range.

“The Happy Egg Company is a fun, quirky brand that aims to reinvigorate the category by communicating with consumers in an interactive way.

Noble Foods believes The Happy Egg Company will become its leading brand, appealing to a wide range of consumers. “We will continue to have a small number of niche brands, such as Goldenlay Omega-3 eggs, which provide consumers with added nutritional benefits.”

He adds: “Our main competitor is other food products and our main challenge is to encourage consumers to fall back in love with eggs. As a nation, we eat fewer eggs than we used to, and also far fewer than our European neighbours.”

Case Study: Jean-Paul Michalski, Tring, Hertfordshire

Noble Foods has 69 farmers producing eggs under demanding welfare standards for the new brand, including Jean-Paul Michalski, who manages 5000 layers in Hertfordshire.

Meeting the strict requirements has meant enriching the range further with sandpits and activity centres, as well as planting trees. But it’s not just on the range, enrichment also applies inside the shed with swings on the litter area and “string spiders” hanging up.

Commenting on hen behaviour, Mr Michalski says: “Hens like to feel safe and secure out on the range, so it is vital to give them a sense of security in order to encourage them to go out.

“Placing the equipment in areas where the birds feel happy, or using it to give them that security is essential. This usually involves a bit of trial and error but in general, hens don’t like to travel too far in open areas, they like to be protected from above and they don’t like wind so they need to be somewhere sheltered.

Asked if birds use the equipment every day, he says it depends on the weather, but in general if they are situated correctly, then yes.

Mr Michalski spends time with his birds watching their behaviour, likes dislikes, how they react to different environments and outside stimuli. “You need to be able to react to very small subtle changes in behaviour in order to recognise and react to problems before they occur.”