Manitoba egg farmer Catherine Kroeker-Klassen, her brother James Kroeker and dad Warren Kroeker start every day with eggs — 16,000 of them, in fact.

That’s how many eggs the 16,600 hens lay on the fourth-generation family farm, Oakdale Farms Ltd. near Landmark, a half-hour southeast of Winnipeg.

Based on retail sales, it’s clear Canadian consumers want more of what the country’s 1,100 egg farmers have to offer.

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After a few flat years, owing to a cholesterol scare (see sidebar) which has since petered out, last year egg sales in Canada climbed 5.6 per cent. That capped off a full decade of growth, which saw sales rocket 27 per cent. In the food business, such growth in a well-established commodity such as eggs is huge. So what’s up?

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has some answers. For one, consumers are shifting toward more protein-driven diets, and eggs are a relatively cheap protein source. Some consumers went to eggs for protein when meat prices skyrocketed and many stayed.

As well, people are eating eggs and other foods in place of cold cereal for breakfast.

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