Chick culling campaigners are oversimplifyng
While recent campaigning by Viva calling for an end to cages and male chick culling is to be expected, their position oversimplifies a complex issue.
Around a fifth of UK eggs are laid by hens in enriched colony cage systems. These systems offer more space than conventional ‘battery’ cages, and a formal ban would deliver little meaningful welfare benefit. With imports still permitted, it would simply relocate production overseas.
On male chicks, currently available in-ovo sexing systems do not prevent incubation – they identify and terminate developing embryos. This distinction matters, particularly to consumers. Independent research commissioned by the BEIC in February 2026 found no consensus in favour of immediate adoption of existing in-ovo systems. When informed that embryos are terminated during incubation, about half of respondents opposed their use, while only 6% supported immediate rollout. Nearly half preferred to wait for “day-zero” technology – the most ethically consistent long-term solution.
Germany is instructive. In-ovo sexing is now legally required there, yet has proven difficult to implement. Legislation has been watered down, small hatcheries have closed and millions of male chicks are still being exported to Poland for meat.
The UK egg industry and the government are aligned: day-zero technology is the goal, but it must be achieved through science-led innovation, not pressure-group timelines. Rushed intervention risks increasing production costs, reducing competitiveness and driving greater reliance on imports from countries with lower welfare standards.
Nick Allen, CEO, British Egg Industry Council
Don’t oversimplify salt
I read with interest the commentary suggesting salt reduction efforts risk repeating the “low-fat” experience. But that comparison oversimplifies a very different area of public health.
Reducing excess sodium intake is not a trend. It is a long-standing, evidence-based priority, supported by decades of evidence linking high sodium intake to raised blood pressure and cardiovascular risk.
It is important to distinguish between theory and evidence. The suggestion that sodium reduction disrupts electrolyte balance is not supported by national dietary data. Equally, arguments around “natural mineral balance” risk overstating the nutritional significance of trace minerals in different salts, whose contribution to overall intake is negligible.
Taste is a legitimate consideration. Potassium-based salts can introduce bitterness or metallic notes at higher levels. However, this is not a new or insurmountable challenge.
Lower-sodium, potassium-based salt substitutes are not a departure from best practice, but a practical tool within it. Used appropriately, they can support meaningful sodium reduction while preserving the culinary role of salt.
The question is not whether sodium should be reduced, but how to do so in a way that maintains consumer acceptance while delivering meaningful health impact.
Caroline Klinge, director, Klinge Foods
Having fun with HFSS ads
The ASA has published its first rulings on HFSS ads. It turns out that just because an ad contains food or drink that’s considered less healthy, it doesn’t mean it’s broken the rules.
The rulings cover four ads, one of which is an On The Beach holiday ad that briefly showed a doughnut as a lounge access perk. This ad produced the ruling’s most memorable line: “consumers who viewed the ad could not reasonably be expected to identify that the ad was for the doughnut.”
Good to know, but it raises a question: when does a ‘doughnut ad’ become not a ‘doughnut ad’? Picture this: the next iPhone ad zooms in on a Greggs sausage roll – Apple or Greggs? A car brand’s EV content series ends at a KFC drive-thru. Car ad or chicken shop ad?
Clearly the ASA hasn’t set out to create more grey areas – and what they’re tasked with isn’t easy. But I for one welcome the permission to provoke a little mischief. The opportunities are obvious: unlikely brand partnerships, HFSS products in the background. One marketer’s compliance headache is another’s creative opportunity.
All I can say is: HFSS – have fun, sneak snacks.
Josh Tilley, brand strategy director, Initials CX
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