Egg industry continues to build trust

17th September 2020 | Eativity editors

A new report from the CSIRO has found that even in the midst of a pandemic, Australians’ trust in the egg industry continues to increase. The findings showcase how the industry continues to emerge as a leader in community trust.

In 2018, Australian Eggs engaged the CSIRO to bring the voice of the Australian community into the heart of the Australian egg industry. Over the subsequent three years, the CSIRO has conducted a comprehensive annual national survey of Australian community perspectives on a range of issues related to the industry.

Trust in the industry across all measures has risen an average of four percent each year from the baseline 2018 national survey. More than six in 10 Australians in 2020 say they trust the egg industry to act responsibly and do what’s right. More than half of the 5008 Australians surveyed also said they trust the industry to act in the best interests of society. The survey also found that average levels of trust in Aussie eggs are higher in comparison with trust levels across Australia’s rural industries sector overall.

Egg industry continues to build trust
4 in 5 Aussies say having a safe, reliable supply of eggs is “comforting” during the pandemic.

No pandemic problems

For the third year in a row, the main driver of trust in the egg industry was its responsiveness to community concerns, which has significantly improved year on year from 2018 to 2020. An increasing number of Australians also agree that the Australian egg industry listens to and respects community opinions.

This year, the timing of the survey coincided with one of the most challenging times for our country and the world, the COVID pandemic. Data collection occurred between April and May and offered an opportunity to take account of and document the impacts of the pandemic on community attitudes towards the egg industry.

“It’s clear that COVID-19 has increased community awareness of the importance of food safety and security in Australia,” says Dr Kieren Moffat, CSIRO Senior Research Scientist. “But what we can also see is that, on key measures like trust, the 2020 data continues a positive trend for the egg industry, independent of the effects of the pandemic.”

Egg industry continues to build trust
Fried and trusted: Aussies have confidence in their egg producers.

Safe as eggs

The research found that Australians felt that egg production standards remain high in the country. Eight-six percent of Australians agree that eggs produced in Australia adhere to strict food safety standards; 84 percent agree that the response of the Australia egg industry to outbreaks of Salmonella are effective in protecting public health.

“The Australian egg industry is extremely proactive in working with authorities to ensure that there are strong food safety and biosecurity measures in place,” says Rowan McMonnies, Managing Director of Australian Eggs. “It’s good to see that Australians recognise the efforts of the egg industry to prioritise their safety.”