The Colombian egg consumption miracle

20 November 2024

4 minute learn

Gonzalo Moreno is the manager president of the Nationwide Federation of Poultry Producers of Colombia (FENAVI). Throughout a Hy-Line sponsored webinar, Moreno detailed Colombia’s rise in egg consumption from 128 to 345 per capita over 30 years’ time. Moreno emphasised the significance of sanitary measures, sustainability and efficient advertising and marketing to spice up international egg consumption.

Colombia produces 18 billion eggs yearly and is among the prime per capita egg customers on the planet. Colombia has a inhabitants of 51 million individuals and there are roughly 7.5 million hens a 12 months in manufacturing or beginning manufacturing.

Begin with sanitary manufacturing

“With the intention to promote extra eggs, we have to produce extra eggs. To provide extra eggs, we must be extra environment friendly with our sanitary practices,” Moreno stated. 

In 2021 Colombia had its first case of avian influenza, with 66 outbreaks in yard chickens and wild birds, nevertheless it by no means received into any business farms. It was an enormous effort made by the poultry business together with the sanitary authorities.

“We have to management all poultry illnesses to extend manufacturing. We had been in a position to eradicate Newcastle in 2021,” he added. 

Step primary to extend egg consumption is getting the sanitary situations so as, so customers belief that eggs are suitable for eating and are a high quality product.

Sustainability program

In 2017 Colombia began a sustainability program, needing to change into environment friendly, since all of the poultry feed is imported. The poultry business (broilers and layers) imports 7 million tons of corn yearly. Producers have discovered to not waste any feed. A rooster eats roughly 220 grams of feed a day and it drinks 240 milliliters of water. The poultry business created a sustainability roadmap in 2018 and in 2019 the environmental program was created. The sustainability program focuses on water and manure administration. Colombian poultry producers have change into specialists in harvesting rainwater and provides their flocks prime quality water. Immediately, 65% of the business birds within the nation drink rainwater.

In 2022, Colombia created the primary sustainability seal on the planet for the poultry sector. The poultry sustainability seal is awarded by a 3rd get together, is obtained voluntarily and can be utilized for poultry merchandise that adjust to necessities in environmental, social and company governance. These embrace animal welfare, biosecurity, security, useful resource consumption, neighborhood relations, social accountability and labor welfare.

Advertising and marketing: Concentrate on vitamin

The important thing to the egg business’s advertising and marketing success was the creation of a checkoff program in 1994, which funds the Colombian poultry sector by contributions from every of the 45 layer and broiler hatcheries within the nation. It’s a checkoff system like these within the US or Europe. In 1994 Colombia produced roughly 400,000 tons of rooster, and 6 billion eggs. In 2024 Colombia will produce over 1.8 million tons of rooster and 18 billion eggs.

The checkoff permits the poultry business to run promotional campaigns, which spotlight eggs as a whole meals. Eggs aren’t solely wholesome, but in addition versatile, and could be ready in several methods. “We emphasize vitamin. We do not promote eggs, we promote vitamin. We give vitamin to the individuals of the nation,” Moreno famous.

At present, 53% of Colombians purchase their meals at mom-and-pop shops, however that determine was 73% in 2023. Shoppers are transferring to supermarkets (19.5%) and onerous low cost shops (14.8%). Only one% of eggs are bought with a trademark, which incorporates free-range eggs.

Promotional campaigns emphasize the significance of eggs for youngsters. The poultry federation made a cartoon sequence with eggs as superheroes Every hero has an egg superpower: higher imaginative and prescient, energy, helps focus, and many others. Children love these cartoons.

A marketing campaign that’s at the moment underway in Colombia is the primary one on the planet the place producers will donate one million eggs to kids over a 12 months. This isn’t a checkoff marketing campaign, however relatively is funded by the egg producers themselves. 

“But it surely’s one thing vital, as a result of subsequent 12 months we’re going to develop roughly 6.5% in egg manufacturing. So, we should run a number of campaigns to extend egg consumption,” Moreno emphasised.

“We have to proceed to lift consciousness of how good eggs are and that they are inexpensive. It is actually such an incredible superfood, and it is economically accessible to most individuals,” he concluded.