Egg Ratings

ALDI Lodge Farms rated egg-cellent

Whether poached, fried or scrambled, Aussies get egg-cited about eggs. It’s a food best served with a side of bacon in a classic big brekky combo (drool), but that can also be enjoyed at any time of the day by the whole family. Just like there are multiple ways to cook it, eggs are not created equal. Between the different sizes, colours, labels and the ‘free range’ or ‘caged’ consideration, Aussie consumers are left to make the decision for themselves. And like with many supermarket foods, taking the cheap option could mean sacrificing on quality. On top of that, buying eggs also comes with a moral and ethical judgement call.

Let’s take a look at the main types of eggs commercially available in Australia:

• Caged eggs: these come from hens housed in cages, usually within a shed.
• Free-range eggs: collected from hens raised in a free-run (barn or aviary) housing system with access to an outdoor range.
• Barn eggs: come from hens housed in an open barn (not caged) with perches and nest boxes to lay their eggs.
• Organic eggs: sourced from hens in free-range systems that are fed organically grown grain and where no pesticides are used in their outdoor housing system.

Now that you know the basics, let’s get cracking on consumer feedback. Canstar Blue asked 2,073 Australian adults to rate the eggs they purchased and ate from a supermarket or grocer within the last three months. Respondents were asked to score their brand of choice on various factors, including the freshness, taste, packaging design, value for money and overall satisfaction. Our customer ratings include brands that sell both free-range and caged eggs. If you’re concerned about this issue, it’s important to do your research before making a purchase.

In our latest eggs review, 10 well-known brands received the minimum sample size of 30 survey responses to be included in the results, but only one scored a five-star rating for overall satisfaction – ALDI Lodge Farms. The supermarket brand achieved ‘egg-cellent’ results, earning five stars in all research categories.

Best-Rated Eggs

Here are the best brands for eggs in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s latest review:

1. ALDI Lodge Farms
2. Manning Valley
3. Family Value
4. Macro Organic
5. Pace Farm
6. Farm Pride
7. Sunny Queen Farms
8. Coles
9. Just 4 You
10. Woolworths Select

ALDI Lodge Farms poached the winning spot in this year’s review as the best-rated brand for overall satisfaction and all other categories. These include taste, freshness, packaging design and value for money. Manning Valley, Family Value, Macro Organic and Pace Farm each scored four stars for overall satisfaction, while the remaining brands ended on three.

But that’s not to say you should put all your eggs in one basket. Manning Valley scored top marks in three out of five categories – taste, freshness and packaging design. Macro Organic and Sunny Queen Farms similarly rated five stars for packaging design, while ‘Just 4 You’ got the same result for value for money. Read on to find out more about the brands compared.

Egg Brands

ALDI Lodge Farms

Lodge Farms is an independent supplier of free-range eggs, with their products sold exclusively in ALDI stores across Australia. A dozen eggs from Lodge Farms can cost as little as $3.

• The discount supermarket brand had a clear win, achieving five stars for overall satisfaction and all other categories such as freshness and value for money.

Manning Valley

Manning Valley is a producer of free-range eggs in Australia. They claim to raise hens in a sustainable pasture-based system, which they credit as the secret behind their premium products. Manning Valley’s range of cage-free eggs is available from supermarkets in NSW, QLD, VIC and ACT. Prices for a dozen eggs from Manning Valley start at $5.

• While Manning Valley rated four stars for value for money and overall satisfaction, it still clearly impressed with five stars on freshness, taste and packaging design.

Family Value

Family Value is an offshoot of Pace Farm, which is stated to produce high quality free-range, barn, cage and organic eggs. According to the company, their hens are raised in outdoor pastures during the day and nest in barns at night. A dozen eggs from Family Value can cost as little as $3.50.

• Family Value received four stars in most categories, including freshness, value for money and overall satisfaction. But it got three stars for taste.

Macro Organic

Macro Organic is Woolworths’ premium range of wholefoods and organic products, spanning over 350 commodities. The ‘certified organic’ label suggests their free-range and organic eggs are responsibly produced, using sustainable farming practises. Prices for a dozen eggs from the Macro Organic range start at $4.50.

• Macro Organic earned five stars for packaging design and four stars for freshness and overall satisfaction. It got three stars for value for money and taste.

Pace Farm

Pace Farm is one of the oldest egg producers in Australia circa 1970s. The brand supplies cage-free eggs to most supermarkets, including Coles, Woolies, IGA and Costco. Pace Farm is independently audited and accredited against industry standards and doesn’t use growth hormones in production. A dozen eggs from Pace Farm cost about $5.20 or more.

• Pace Farm rated four stars in most categories, including freshness and overall satisfaction. Although it scored three stars on value for money.

Farm Pride

Farm Pride says it independently produces most of its free-range, barn-laid and farm eggs, but also sources from local suppliers. The brand supplies egg products to most of the major supermarkets in Australia and to the food sector. Prices for a dozen eggs from Farm Pride start at $5.20.

• Farm Pride received four stars on value for money and taste, but ultimately finished on three stars for overall satisfaction and the remaining categories.

Sunny Queen Farms

Sunny Queen is a 100% Aussie farmer-owned company, with over 80 years of eggs-perience in the industry. The brand produces and supplies free-range, organic, cage-free and farm eggs to some of Australia’s biggest supermarkets and retailers, including Coles and Woolies. Sunny Queen is reputed for upholding high standards of animal welfare across its farms from North Queensland to regional Victoria. They’ve even developed a ChookTracker to show transparency in their farming practises. A dozen eggs from the Sunny Queen range start at $6.00.

• Sunny Queen Farms shined when it came to packaging design, achieving five stars for the category. It scored four stars for taste and freshness, but three stars on value for money and overall satisfaction.

Coles

Exclusive to the supermarket giant, the Coles-branded line has a range of ‘value’ free-range eggs which come in six and 12-egg cartons. A dozen eggs from Coles Brand can cost as little as $3.80.

• The supermarket brand scored four stars in most categories, including freshness and value for money, but scored three stars for packaging design and overall satisfaction.

Just 4 You

Just 4 You is a wholesale supplier of cage eggs, with their products sold mostly in Coles and Woolies, as well as some independent supermarkets. The Just 4 You range includes six and 12-egg cartons, costing about $3.50 for a dozen.

• Just 4 You satisfied consumers in terms of value for money, being the only brand other than this year’s winner to achieve five stars for the category. It also got four stars on taste and freshness, before ending on three stars for packaging design and overall satisfaction.

Woolworths Select

Woolworths Select is the supermarket’s own range of everyday products, marketed as offering big brand quality at low prices. Their egg product range includes free-range and cage-free eggs, with prices starting at $3.95 for a dozen.

• The Woolworths Select supermarket brand rated four stars in most categories, including freshness, but scored three stars on packaging design and overall satisfaction.

Which eggs should I buy?

Ultimately, you’ll want to buy fresh, high-quality eggs that were produced in alignment with your expectations as a consumer and at an affordable price. Look at product labels for classifications (i.e. free range, organic etc) and for any approval stamps that indicate the eggs come from a sustainable farming business.

When asked about what they considered when buying eggs, our survey respondents answered as below:

• More than half (51%) of consumers who buy free range eggs do so because they think they taste better and are generally better quality, while 62% buy free range eggs because they don’t want to support the caged egg industry.
• More than half of survey respondents (56%) who buy free range eggs said they are happy paying more.
• A third (33%) of consumers who buy free range eggs admitted to not being convinced that the eggs they buy are as ‘free range’ as they claim to be.
• More than half (55%) of survey respondents who buy caged eggs said they would buy free range eggs if they were cheaper.
• One out of five caged-egg buyers (20%) said they feel guilty about buying caged eggs.

Whatever your preference, take your time to shop around and research your options.

About the author of this page

This report was written by Canstar Blue’s home & lifestyle journalist, Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito. She’s an expert on household appliances, grooming products and all things grocery and shopping. In addition to translating our expert research into consumer-friendly ratings reports, Tahnee spends her time helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services, while highlighting the best deals and anything you need to be aware of.

Online Grocery Shopping Reviews

Picture credits: Maxim Khytra / Shutterstock.com