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Sainsbury’s is cutting sales of brown eggs amid efforts to become more sustainable, it has announced.

The UK’s second biggest supermarket chain is planning to sell only white eggs in its own brand ranges after finding they have a 12.7% lower carbon footprint than brown eggs.

It said switching to white eggs will help it support customers to make more sustainable dietary choices, “while still maintaining the excellent taste, quality and nutrition they expect”.

The grocer said this is largely due to better feeding efficiency and the longer productive lifespan of white hens.

White hens are also less prone to feather pecking, leading to better animal welfare.

Sainsbury’s said the initiative “exemplifies our approach of collaborating with our suppliers to build a more resilient food system in the UK”.

A spokeswoman said: “White eggs have the same delicious taste and nutritional benefits as their brown counterparts but result in lower carbon emissions and better welfare outcomes for the hens that lay them.

“White feathered hens typically live longer, eat less feed and lay eggs for longer, cutting carbon emissions by over 12% compared with hens that lay brown eggs.

“We know Brits love their eggs and, as we work with suppliers to transition all of our own brand to white shells, they can now enjoy them knowing they are better for the environment and the hens.”

Until relatively recently, almost all eggs sold in British supermarkets were brown.

The majority of white-shelled eggs – produced by breeds including the white leghorn, which originated in Italy – have gone into restaurants rather than being sold directly to customers.

British supermarkets have been testing demand for white-shelled varieties in recent years. During the pandemic, Tesco began selling them after lockdown panic buying led to a shortage of brown eggs.