EGG PRODUCTS FOR CATERERS

Approximately 20% of the eggs produced in this country are sold to the catering industry. Eggs are an ideal food for catering establishments as they are economical and easily prepared. Catering outlets cover a wide variety of venues including hotels, restaurants, pubs, cafes, fast food outlets, educational establishments, industrial canteens and hospitals. Pub catering and fast food outlets are two of the largest areas in recent years.

The majority of eggs used in catering now come in pasteurised or ready cooked forms. Whilst food manufacturers use the bulk of liquid, frozen and dried egg products, the foodservice sector (contract caterers, health service, cafe's, institutional care homes, etc) uses some frozen and liquid egg, but also many ready-to-serve products such as scrambled egg, omelettes and boiled eggs.

There is a move towards extended shelf life (ESL) liquid egg products. ESL is achieved by pasteurising at higher temperatures for a shorter time and then aseptically packing the product. The use of ESL chilled pasteurised liquid egg products is growing rapidly in the catering sectors. Typically these products are available in one kilo cartons with a shelf life of 28 days.

Caterers and Lion Quality eggs

The Lion Quality mark is a familiar symbol for many caterers. In an industry where responsibility for the purchase of raw materials is so important, the Lion guarantee helps to ensure that caterers meet their due diligence requirements.

	Hilton 3663 NHS