There’s a bit of a wrinkle here in that humane eggs aren’t completely fungible with non-humane eggs. Healthier and happier chickens tend to produce better quality eggs that are distinguishable from factory-farmed eggs. This approach seems plausible for offsetting demand but leaves the consumer with an inferior product at a higher cost. This isn’t a big deal for a croissant but would be for, say, an omelet.
“Healthier and happier chickens tend to produce better quality eggs that are distinguishable from factory-farmed eggs.” I’d be interested in a study showing this.
Sure, but the non-fungibility reintroduces the distribution and packaging complications. Part of the premise was to “sell these on the wholesale market as if they were totally normal eggs.” The decoupling only works under fungibility assumptions, i.e., when the quality difference is not distinguishable or not important. Fortunately, this is close enough to true for many parts of the market and a partial solution is still progress.
There’s a bit of a wrinkle here in that humane eggs aren’t completely fungible with non-humane eggs. Healthier and happier chickens tend to produce better quality eggs that are distinguishable from factory-farmed eggs. This approach seems plausible for offsetting demand but leaves the consumer with an inferior product at a higher cost. This isn’t a big deal for a croissant but would be for, say, an omelet.
“Healthier and happier chickens tend to produce better quality eggs that are distinguishable from factory-farmed eggs.” I’d be interested in a study showing this.
Presumably the welfare premium is reduced if the ethical egg providers can recoup some costs from a quality premium
Sure, but the non-fungibility reintroduces the distribution and packaging complications. Part of the premise was to “sell these on the wholesale market as if they were totally normal eggs.” The decoupling only works under fungibility assumptions, i.e., when the quality difference is not distinguishable or not important. Fortunately, this is close enough to true for many parts of the market and a partial solution is still progress.