Egg yolk and shell

British Lion is introducing isotope testing to its code of practice for egg products.

The technology enables testing of products to determine country of origin and whether the eggs were produced free range or in cages.

The industry body said traceability became more difficult once an egg was taken out of its shell, and the move would bring another layer of reassurance for manufacturers and retailers.

British Lion will test samples taken from processing plants and laying farms and create a regularly updated database.

“The Lion code already has stringent processes to ensure full traceability,” British Lion chairman Ian Jones said. “These include mass balance checks, additional auditing, a database of egg movements and on-farm marking. We intend to make use of the new isotope technology to show that with British Lion egg products you know what you’re getting - a product produced to the highest standards of food safety.”

In November, The Grocer reported British egg producers were building an isotope database to help clamp down on imported eggs being passed off as British.