Egg production systems
Lesson overview
Students will investigate the difference between free range, barn laid and cage eggs and look into the reasons why there is consumer demand for each product.
Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences
Economics and Business
- Year 5 - Influences on consumer choices and methods that can be used to help make informed personal consumer and financial choices (ACHEK003)
- Year 6 - The reasons businesses exist and the different ways they provide goods and services (ACHEK011)
Resources
- Sample egg cartons from free range, barn laid and cage egg producers
- One egg from each carton
- Three way Venn diagram worksheet
- Images from each system to promote discussion
Tuning in
What’s the Difference? Create a diagram that shows your understanding of what free range, barn laid and caged egg farming systems are.
Crack one of each egg into a saucer and ask children to observe any differences. Pose the question and discuss ‘are all eggs the same’?
Whole class introduction
There may be slight nutritional differences between different sorts of eggs, but essentially to a consumer, an egg is an egg. Or is it?
There is a growing demand from Australian consumers for ethically produced food and the egg industry is an example of how our social conscience can affect our purchasing decisions and create new opportunities for farmers.
Australian eggs are produced in one of three commercial egg farming systems and sold as free range, barn laid and cage eggs.
Current statistics indicate that cage eggs are still the product of choice for many people but the market share from free range producers is growing rapidly.