Morrisons is introducing a white egg pack to its Chuckle Eggs range, which is part of a wider ‘For Farmers’ initiative where 6p is given back to farmers for every half dozen box of eggs.

White eggs have the same nutritional properties as brown eggs and can be used in exactly the same way in cooking, with the only difference between them being the colour of the shell, which is determined by the breed of the hen.

White eggs are laid by ‘white’ hens which require less feed to produce the same amount of eggs than ‘brown’ hens, resulting in them having a lower carbon footprint.

The supermarket giant said that hens supplying eggs to its Chuckle Egg range have the freedom to roam outside whenever they want and also have woodland ranges and bee friendly flower strips.

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The move builds on Morrisons ‘For Farmers’ range, which it launched in 2015 allowing customers to show support for farmers by choosing a range which commits extra money to go to them.

The grocer said the range has been “extremely successful” and it has given over £25m back to farmers since its launch.

In addition to the white egg farmers, Morrisons works with over 65 egg farmers who supply into the own-brand free range and organic eggs it sells – all of which are approved to British Lion code and RSPCA or equivalent standards.

The farmers benefit from long-term contracts and short payment terms to give them more financial reassurance to invest in their farm’s infrastructure and the future of their business. Morrisons also offers carbon footprinting analysis for every flock, with support available for each farmer to develop a sustainable growth plan tailored to their farm.

Morrisons technical and sustainability director at Myton Food Group Sophie Throup said: “Brown eggs have traditionally been sold in the UK and white eggs currently account for only 10% of sales.

“We know our customers are continuously looking for ways to shop more sustainably and although in terms of taste and size white and brown eggs are exactly the same, the lower carbon footprint benefits of using white hens means we are able to offer a more environmentally friendly egg.

“We have worked closely with our existing egg farmers to launch this full white pack and are committed to offering our customers sustainable options across our stores.”