Preços e rotulagem de ovos em supermercados de São Paulo

Anna Souza

doi:10.31533/pubvet.v15n06a850.1-8

Abstract

Brazil is a big table egg producer and consumer. Although battery cages are still the main production system in the country, growth in demand for specialty eggs can be identified from the growing availability of free-range and organic eggs in the market. The goal for this study was to report the prices of different table egg categories, varying in features such as eggshell color, package size or farming system, and to characterize the information available on labels. We investigated fifteen supermarket units, randomly distributed along the west side of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Four data collections were performed throughout one year, in each unit. Our results indicate that organic eggs were the most expensive among different farming systems. Furthermore, brown shell eggs were more expensive compared to white shell eggs, regardless of the farming system. Eggs sold in small packages were more expensive than eggs sold in large packages. Cage-free and organic eggs had labels with more informative content and, lastly, eggs with more detailed labels were related to higher prices.

Highlights

Specialty foods are defined as foods of the highest grade, style, and/or quality in their respective categories
There are no reports on the actual change in purchasing habits for specialty eggs in Brazil, a growth in demand can be identified from growing availability of free-range and organic eggs in the market (Teixeira et al, 2018), as well as nutrient-enhanced eggs, certified for animal welfare standards, among other differentials
Oberholtzer et al (2006) observed, on similar survey carried out in the United States, that some participants believed that free-range and organic eggs have higher nutritional value than conventional eggs

Summary

Introduction

Specialty foods are defined as foods of the highest grade, style, and/or quality in their respective categories. Their specialty nature derives from uniqueness, differentiated origin, processing method, design, limited supply, unusual application or use, extraordinary packaging, channel of distribution or sales (Tanner & Purcell, 2010). There are no reports on the actual change in purchasing habits for specialty eggs in Brazil, a growth in demand can be identified from growing availability of free-range and organic eggs in the market (Teixeira et al, 2018), as well as nutrient-enhanced eggs, certified for animal welfare standards, among other differentials. There is a lack of information about the actual availability of specialty table eggs in Brazil and about the price differences among the eggs’ categories

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Conclusion