Hyderabad, Top poultry experts on the occasion of World Egg Day on Friday highlighted the importance of this protein-rich food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The experts got together to discuss the vision forward for the industry and the importance of eggs in diets. Eggs are counted amongst the most economical, accessible healthiest foods across the globe.

At a webinar hosted by Suresh Chitturi, Chairman of the International Egg Coordination Committee (IEC) along with Tim Labert, former chairman of IEC, Dr Raghav Sunil, MS Orthopaedics, and Sanjoy Mukerji, CEO, Indian Poultry Review, they discussed case studies and shared business insights about the industry during the new normal.

Suresh Chitturi noted that the egg supply chain remained strong in 2020 and even during the pandemic, egg farmers worked with gusto with their partners to deliver fresh, local, high-quality eggs in India.

"That's why this World Egg Day, we're expressing our appreciation for their contribution, and the importance of eggs. When it mattered most, they delivered, as we know eggs have been part of our food table for generations enriching our proteins requirement," he said.

Tim Labert exuded confidence that the egg industry will continue its exponential growth in India, Asia and around the world, as it enhanced the efficiencies and sustainability, at the farmer level to further grow the outreach of this efficient animal protein. "Eggs have a positive impact on climate change. Eggs are a key part of diet; they are also affordable animal protein. It is also relatively easy to produce and scale up. We are working with Asian farmers to make the egg production viable and sustainable," he said.

An interesting panel discussion on "Egg, much more than the perfect protein- An Egg-ceptional Superfood", saw the participants underlining the importance of eggs to keep immunity at a high level to fight COVID.

"Having an egg per day will give sustainable protein of choice for consumers. With 6% of Vitamin A and 6.3 grams of protein in one egg, we consume just 75 calories, the egg is a super protein food for individuals who pursue fitness or maintain a healthy weight," they said.

According to them, studies demonstrate that eating eggs can lower the risk of heart disease in healthy people. Despite containing cholesterol, eggs contain high-density levels (HDL) or 'good' cholesterol. Research shows that people with higher levels of HDL generally have reduced risks of heart disease.

The IEC acts as a bridge between industry and international regulators/decision makers and creates a common policy framework on a range of issues, agreed by IEC members and approved by the IEC Council, to boost availability, affordability, desirability, and convenience of nutritious foods.

Across the world, IEC continues to devise newer approaches to boost egg availability and consumption.

World Egg Day was established at the IEC Vienna 1996 conference when it was decided to celebrate World Egg Day on the second Friday of October each year.