October 30, 2007

Indian traders alter broiler eggs to masquerade as country eggs

Banking on the popular notion that eggs from country hens are healthier than commercial ones, unscrupulous traders in India have altered eggs from commercial chickens to look like country ones, according to The Hindu, an Indian newspaper.

Traders buy under-sized eggs rejected by commercial producers and paint the outer shells a brown-pinkish colour to resemble desi eggs (eggs from country hens) by using tea leaves, the Hindu said.

The eggs are rolled in lukewarm water in which tea leaves have been boiled, the Hindu reported.

According to doctors, both desi eggs and commercial eggs offer similar levels of nutrients.

In fact, paediatricians recommend that children should be given broiler eggs due to the higher protein content afforded by the large white portion.