Chickens are being placed on vegetarian, herb-fed diets, within the hopes of their laying eggs that promise much less of an eggy scent, smoother style, and a nutrient enhance — extra “good” ldl cholesterol, larger protein, additional vitamin D, a splash of omega-3. Free-range, corn-fed, and natural are yesterday’s labels; the brand new frontier is ‘value-added’ and natural eggs.
New manufacturers pop up recurrently on Amazon, BigBasket, and Instamart. Eggoz, which greater than doubled its income in a single 12 months to Rs 130 crore in 2025, sells “herbal-fed” selenium-fortified eggs. Henfruit feeds its hens neem, tulsi, and turmeric. Eggnest has its “Natural Promax” line. Different manufacturers like Abhi Eggs and Good Eggs, in the meantime, boast fortifications with numerous vitamins.
In comparison with common eggs that promote for Rs 6 apiece, value-added ones retail round Rs 9 and may go as much as Rs 16. The enchantment isn’t restricted to health-conscious consumers; even some with egg allergic reactions or sensitivities report higher tolerance.
“Feeding birds natural dietary supplements undoubtedly modifications the nutrient profile of eggs,” defined Hyderabad-based nutritionist Nida Fatima Hazari.
“Many giant trials haven’t been carried out, however an affordable quantity of analysis does present that natural eggs can enhance immunity and assist cut back levels of cholesterol. Scientific research additionally counsel that they help a beneficial lipid profile.”
They don’t scent like common eggs, and so they really feel clear nearly like they belong in a vegetarian kitchen
-Aditi Acharya, Bhopal resident
The market share of ‘value-added eggs’ remains to be tiny—solely 0.1 per cent, based on Sanjeev Chintawar, assistant normal supervisor (Enterprise Growth) on the Nationwide Egg Coordination Committee (NECC), the cooperative physique that units benchmark costs for eggs throughout the nation. However, as he acknowledged, it’s nonetheless a section in its personal proper. Natural eggs are slowly inching onto breakfast tables subsequent to sourdough and brown rice as customers develop fussier about what feeds their meals.
And it’s not only a metro fad. Gupta’s personal model, Eggs & Eggs, sells solely in Bhopal at present, relying totally on word-of-mouth and a modest Instagram web page that preaches the well being gospel of natural eggs.
One convert is Bhopal resident Dr Shailendra Singh Rana, a former Military officer. Two weeks of steroid-heavy remedy, in August 2022, for meningitis left him 25 kilos lighter, purple patches throughout his pores and skin, and vitality ranges at all-time low. Medical doctors gave him a restoration timeline of at the least two years, however he claims he was in a position to bounce again in six months due to the brand new and improved eggs he ate.
“Natural eggs from Aditya Poultry Farm have been a life-saver,” mentioned the 43-year-old, who’d spent his complete life avoiding eggs since he hated the scent. “I began to eat them every day. Boiled eggs for breakfast, omelette for lunch, and egg curry for dinner, each single day. That was my secret of restoration.” He would possibly skip a meal, however by no means the natural eggs.
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A patented poultry feed
At Gupta’s poultry farm, a employee serves up 4 freshly boiled eggs, steam nonetheless rising from their shells. He peels them, one after the opposite, and slices them open with a small knife.
The yolks inside gleam a vibrant and glassy orange. Their texture is delicate, nearly creamy. They soften on the tongue, the style smoother, creamier than extraordinary eggs.
For Gupta, the transfer to natural poultry farming got here much less from innovation than necessity. A software program engineer by coaching, he entered his household’s enterprise within the early 2000s. They’d 60,000 birds however, like many large-scale farmers, confronted the trade’s harsh actuality: excessive chook mortality.
His turning level got here in 2018 after a most cancers analysis. Compelled to decelerate, he started studying about Ayurveda and the therapeutic energy of herbs.
“We did post-mortems on each chook that died,” he recalled. “We experimented— if a illness struck, we added herbs. If immunity wanted boosting, we added completely different herbs. And we even balanced the proportion of each herb.”
Three years and numerous trials later, Gupta filed for a patent. In June final 12 months, the Indian Patents Workplace granted him one for his natural feed, which he mentioned produces eggs naturally “low in ldl cholesterol and wealthy in Omega-3 and Omega-7 fatty acids.”
Eggs are among the many least expensive sources of high-value protein. Whereas the protein amount doesn’t fluctuate a lot between common and natural eggs, nutritionist Hazari mentioned the standard — the amino-acid profile — may be altered by enriching a chook’s weight loss plan, though she cautioned the analysis remains to be restricted.
“For instance, including flaxseed or linseed to rooster feed can enhance the omega-3 fatty acid content material of egg yolks, which has protecting cardiovascular and immunological advantages. Garlic, however, has been confirmed as a useful feed additive for bettering egg yolk high quality and the lipid profile in poultry,” Hazari added.
We experimented— if a illness struck, we added herbs. If immunity wanted boosting, we added completely different herbs. And we even balanced the proportion of each herb
-Aditya Gupta
In the meantime, Gupta has filed 5 extra patent functions in India and three within the US. His newest innovation is feed designed to provide hypoallergenic eggs that don’t set off the queasy reactions that some expertise with common ones.
“Hypoallergenic eggs can even cater to vegetarians who don’t just like the scent of eggs,” he mentioned.
As an instance his level, Gupta cracked open a uncooked egg right into a bowl. He lifted the bowl, took a sniff, then downed the uncooked egg in a single gulp.
“I solely eat them like this now. It has 90 per cent digestible protein so it retains me full,” he smiled.
He isn’t apprehensive about salmonella, although there’s no scientific proof to counsel that the kind of feed eliminates bacterial progress.
“Eggs are normally really helpful to be eaten cooked as a result of warmth kills micro organism. However ours haven’t any bacterial an infection — due to the turmeric and different herbs we give to the birds.”
Worth-added vs natural eggs
In Doraha village, on the outskirts of Bhopal, poultry farmer Ashwin Reddy runs Kiwi Agro, a 36-year-old household enterprise. His model, Reddeggs, is among the many metropolis’s largest suppliers, delivering practically two million eggs a day.
He’s saved up with the instances and sells eggs enriched with Vitamin A, D3, E and Selenium. However he dismisses the idea of natural eggs as a “advertising gimmick”.
“Herbs don’t considerably profit the birds or the eggs,” Reddy mentioned, including that the one exception is turmeric as a consequence of its antibiotic properties. “I’m not in opposition to natural eggs however the market may be very area of interest, progress is stagnant, and the price goes up due to the added herbs.”
Down south, Hyderabad-based poultry farmer Arun Kumar Reddy Kotha echoes the sentiment. The 35-year-old additionally sells “value-added” eggs however calls the “natural” and “high-protein” labels pure advertising.
I’m Baniya. I don’t eat meat, however I do eat desk eggs. By nature, unfertilised eggs are vegetarian. Extra consciousness is required to drive this message residence
-Sanjeev Chintawar, NECC
“There’s no such factor. If somebody says their eggs have extra protein than common ones, they’re mendacity — it’s not attainable,” mentioned Kotha, who manages his household’s sprawling farm of practically 8 lakh birds in Humnabad. Nevertheless, he added, different nutrient ranges in an egg may be tweaked by way of the feed.
5 years in the past, Kotha started experimenting with feed to enhance vitamin, deciding on a small batch of 15,000–16,000 birds.
“The fundamentals have been at all times operating easily however I wished to push the boundaries—not simply extra eggs, however higher ones,” he mentioned. “We began including flaxseeds to extend the omega-3 content material. Nevertheless it’s not nearly throwing seeds into the feed. That you must make sure the birds digest it properly, and that the vitamins truly make their means into the eggs. Therefore, you need to steadiness it with different vitamins.”
It was something however easy. Getting the correct steadiness meant trial, error, and a good bit of frustration.
“You’re not simply coping with vitamin; you’re coping with biology, with birds that reply otherwise relying on climate, feed high quality, and even stress,” he mentioned.
Whereas common eggs have negligible omega-3 content material, Kotha’s enriched eggs include round 330 mg per 100 grams, or roughly two eggs’ value. At one level, he tried fortifying them with six vitamins —Nutritional vitamins A, E, D3, Omega-3, carotenoids, and selenium — however the steadiness proved difficult.
“We needed to drop D3. It simply wasn’t working with the remainder of the combination,” he mentioned.
The farm produces round 6 lakh common eggs a day, every promoting for Rs 5.20. His premium, fortified eggs — 10,000 to 12,000 a day, principally bought in Hyderabad and Bengaluru — promote for Rs 16 apiece.
“Demand hasn’t been an issue. In reality, I usually battle to maintain up,” he mentioned.
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Natural eggs for ‘veg’ branding?
India is the world’s second-largest producer of eggs, with the market pegged at Rs 2.3 lakh crore in 2024 and anticipated to achieve Rs 8.4 lakh crore by 2033, per government projections. Nevertheless it wasn’t a straightforward market to crack.
Within the Eighties, when India’s poultry trade was nonetheless struggling, the Nationwide Egg Coordination Committee launched its well-known marketing campaign — “Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khao ande” (Whether or not it’s Sunday or Monday, eat eggs each day). The jingle resonated with middle-class households, making eggs a staple and an emblem of inexpensive vitamin.
4 a long time on, NECC is combating a unique battle: convincing India that unfertilised eggs are, by definition, vegetarian.
“I’m Baniya. I don’t eat meat, however I do eat desk eggs. By nature, unfertilised eggs are vegetarian. Extra consciousness is required to drive this message residence,” mentioned NECC’s Chintawar.
Natural eggs could make that activity simpler.
The odourless eggs from Aditya Poultry Farm in Bhopal, for one, have turned even strict vegetarians into prospects. Aditi Acharya, 33, who even avoids onion and garlic at residence, modified her stance as a result of her son’s protein consumption was low.
Initially, her son refused to eat boiled eggs due to the scent. After a relative really helpful natural eggs from Aditya Poultry Farm, she purchased a six-pack — and eggs have since grow to be a staple at their breakfast desk.
“India has at all times been a carbohydrate-heavy nation. Protein consumption has historically been low, partly as a result of it wasn’t simply accessible,” mentioned KG Anand, normal supervisor of Venkateshwara Hatcheries Ltd in Hyderabad, a serious egg producer that helped discovered the NECC. “Now, as a consequence of Western affect, social media developments, and rising consciousness, there’s a surge in demand for protein. However vegetarians have restricted sources, like pulses and chickpeas, which aren’t at all times sufficient.”
NECC, nevertheless, isn’t but selling natural eggs.
“We give attention to selling eggs for the broader market, not specialised or area of interest merchandise,” Anand mentioned. “Our precedence is the 99.99 per cent of the market, not the small 0.1 per cent section.”
He however acknowledged that natural eggs are more and more being accepted, particularly amongst kids and the aged, as a result of they supply an simply digestible supply of protein.
For Acharya, embracing natural eggs wasn’t a compromise on her values, however a reimagining of them — a approach to meet her son’s dietary wants with out crossing her private line.
“They don’t scent like common eggs, and so they really feel clear nearly like they belong in a vegetarian kitchen,” she mentioned.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)
