Wall Street Journal, Packaged Facts weigh in on the great egg debate

Is this the age of the rehabilitated egg? According to a recently published article in the Wall Street Journal, the answer seems to be yes. “The Great Egg Debate: Are They Healthy or Not?” explores the different arguments for, and against, the FDA allowing eggs to be marketed as “healthy.” The article explains “Vilified for years for their high cholesterol content, eggs more recently have broken back into dietary fashion. Nutrition experts today are touting eggs’ high levels of protein, essential vitamins and nutrients like brain-booster choline.”

The Journal also quoted Packaged Facts’ publisher David Sprinkle, who noted that “Eggs have always been a restaurant and home kitchen workhorse, but they have garnered new levels of respect.” Packaged Facts recently covered the many traditional and new ways eggs are being incorporated into modern consumer diets in our new report, Eggs: Culinary Trend Tracking Series.

Technically “healthy” or not, this ongoing debate about eggs is not stopping consumers and restaurants from wholeheartedly embracing them, or steadily eroding their former dietary stigma. Many consumers are looking for high protein and natural food options they can easily adopt into their diets. The versatile nature and wide availability of eggs make them a perfect choice for consumers and restaurants looking to diversify their sources of protein. Eggs have expanded from a breakfast staple to a hearty, all-day. Restaurants are responding to eggs’ changing reputation through experimenting with egg recipes from a wider array of cuisines. Dishes like chilaquiles from Mexico and shakshouka from North Africa and the Middle East are appearing on more restaurant menus alongside the more familiar quiches and frittatas.

Eggs’ nutritional status has seemed to dominate the product’s media coverage in recent years. Despite their high protein levels, the FDA does not allow eggs to be classified or marketed as “healthy” due to their high cholesterol and fat content. This classification restriction has caused a backlash from diet companies such as Weight Watchers to some egg producers themselves; the company Pete and Gerry’s Organics is currently petitioning the FDA to lift the ban on calling eggs “healthy.”

While the jury may still be out on “The Great Egg Debate,” it does seem like it is eggs’ time to shine.

For more information about Packaged Facts’ egg report, visit our website, https://www.packagedfacts.com/updates/egg-culinary-trends.