An influencer has claimed expensive Burford Browns eggs are not worth paying more as he revealed the secret behind their much-loved dark yolks.
Sunna Van Kampen, known as @tonichealth on TikTok, posted a video onto his social media pages saying people should not pay premium prices for Clarence Court’s Burford Brown Eggs.
He said their ‘overpriced’ eggs – which are sold in numerous supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsburys and Waitrose – had dark orange yolks because the chickens were fed with marigold and paprika.
Some believe a darker yolk makes eggs healthier for human consumption.
But fans of the produce hit back at his claims, saying that Burford Brown eggs are worth the higher price because they are tastier.
In the footage, which was posted to his 683,000 followers, Mr Van Kampen can be seen carrying out his attack on the premium egg producer whilst holding a six-pack Clarence Court carton in a Waitrose supermarket.
He says: ‘The reason why your yolks are so dark and orange when you pay money for a Burford Brown and an overpriced egg is because they feed it marigold and paprika, which turns the yolk bright orange.
‘That’s how they can guarantee that sure when you have a chicken that’s in pastures and eats natural diets, it tends to be a darker yolk anyway.
‘But these guys have commercialised that opportunity with paprika, which is why they are charging you £4.20 for large eggs. That’s wild!’
He then picks up a green box of Waitrose-own brand organic eggs and says: ‘You can just come here and get organic eggs, which have organic feed and it’s only £2.95 for six.
‘Don’t worry about the colour of your yolks worry about the nutrition, which is going to come better from free-range and organic, than it is from Paprika and Marigold.’
The UK-based blogger, who promotes his own brand of health products, says his videos deliver a ‘daily health truth’.
But Burford Brown fans did not agree with his assessment, which has been viewed more than 330,000 times on TikTok since it was posted on Wednesday.
One user commented: ‘These eggs are ethically produced and the hens are well kept, yes their diet includes marigold and paprika both which gives lively colour yolks ( I used to feed my own hens that too) and also has many health benefits for humans as well as hens.
‘Raising hens the way Clarence court do of course is more expensive than the mass produced watery eggs in paper thin shells that are hatched in bleak conditions for mist hens. Pay for quality and taste and that’s what you will get with Bulford. Cheaper eggs taste exactly that.’
Another said: ‘These eggs TASTE far better than any other egg…fact! �� They’re the best for a reason…’
A third added: ‘Paprika has other benefits than just yolk colour to egg.’, while a fourth simply put: ‘Yes, the yolk is a lovely gold but, the flavour in a Clarence Egg is exceptional compared to all other supermarket eggs.’
On their website, Clarence Court confirm that their birds are fed paprika and marigold as part of a ‘maize enriched diet’, which also includes wheat, sunflower, seashell and soya.
Burford Brown eggs are produced by hens of the same name and are known for their heavy quality, thick dark shells.
For decades, British shoppers have preferred these brown eggs to their white counterparts in the mistaken belief they are a healthier option.
But in 2020, farmers urged consumers to make a switch to reduce animal cruelty.
While there is no nutritional difference between the two types of egg, the farming of brown ones requires hens to have their beaks trimmed with an infrared laser beam, which is said to be painful.
‘If consumers were to eat white eggs then it would help with animal welfare and give farmers the confidence to farm hens which have not had the infrared treatment,’ said Robert Gooch of The British Free Range Egg Producers Association.
Variation in egg colour depends on the breed that lays them. Broadly speaking white-feathered hens lay white eggs and brown-feathered hens lay brown ones, although the colour of the earlobe is a more reliable indicator.
Dark-earlobed breeds that produce brown eggs, such as the Lohmann brown, are typically more aggressive, so have their beaks blunted when they are day-old chicks to stop them pecking each other as adults. They have been known to peck each other to death to establish their hierarchy and are even prone to cannibalism.
Mr Gooch said white eggs used to be the norm in Britain but shoppers switched to brown in the 1970s under the misconception that they are more ‘rustic’ or ‘natural’.
have approached Clarence Court for a comment.