Egg producer Farm Pride Foods has found a way to prove its eggs are free range at any point in the supply chain through an "origin fingerprint".
The development is the result of an agreement with scientific food traceability company Oritain, which has supplied the fingerprint for each of the farms Farm Pride sources its eggs from.
The testing measures elements that occur naturally in each farm’s environment, and which are absorbed by free range birds living there.
As concentrations of these elements vary depending on origin, each farm’s fingerprint is different.
Regular testing at different points in the supply chain measures Farm Pride’s free range eggs against this fingerprint to ensure their origin can be verified.
“This technology helps us enhance the reputation of our free range egg brands because Australians are increasingly demanding greater transparency over the sourcing and ethical production of their food," Farm Pride CEO Bruce De Lacy said.
"Both consumers and retailers are looking for independent and trusted guarantees from producers."
Sales of free range eggs in Australia have grown between 12 and 13 per cent per annum over the last five years.
