IN MINUTES News and events — visually

Whether they're painted or in chocolate form, eggs are a big part of Easter. But how much do you know about them?

Eggshell:
Composed largely of calcium

Outer and inner

membranes:
Provide protection against
bacterial infection
What’s in an egg? Fat
Calories 70
Protein 6g

1 hen lays
5g
Vitelline Polyunsaturates
0.8 g
membrane: Monosaturates

about 480
2g
Holds the yolk Saturates
Yolk Cholesterol 1.5 g
Exterior albumen: 190 mg

eggs per
Thinner than the As a % of daily inta
ke:
middle albumen Vitamin A
Vitamin D 8%
Middle
albumen:
Thicker than the Shell colour
Germinal
Vitamin E
Thiamin
2%
6% year
exterior egg white does not affect Riboflavin 3%
in higher quality flavour or disk
Niacin 15%
eggs quality
Vitamin B6 6%
Chalaza: Twisted Folate 2%
strands of egg white; 15%
Vitamin B12
anchors the yolk in the middle
of the egg; prominence indicates Pantothenic acid 30%

1,100
freshness Calcium 15%
Air cell: Formed between the two 2%
Phosphorus There
membranes. Caused by contraction of the 6% are an
contents during cooling after laying Approximate Magnesium
number of 2% estimated
Iron 2% 25 million
registered egg hens in
farms in Canada Zinc 5%
Making the Grade 10,000–
Canada
that lay
approximately
6 billion eggs

Grade A Grade B Grade C

20,000
Average number of hens
Egg sizes
per year!

• Clean, uncracked • Uncracked shell, may • Cracked shell on a Canadian egg farm At least At least At least
At least At least
shell have roughtexture • Loose yolk 56g 64g 70g
<42g 42g 49g
• Round, centered • Slightly flattened yolk • Thin/watery white

$500M
yolk • Watery white Sold to commercial
• Firm white Pee wee Small Medium Large Extra large Jumbo
Sold for commercial processors
• Small air cell baking or processing into
Sold in retail stores mayonnaise, noodles, or The egg industry’s
baked goods contribution to the That’s a lot of eggs!
$641.6 M
Canadian
economy Thousands of dozens
of eggs sold per year,
The The The for consumption 557,005 Total value of eggs sold in Canada

40%
largest hen heaviest egg smallest egg on (in Canada)
egg ever laid for consumption in 2010
on record weighed record, laid by a
measured 12.2” 5 lb., 2 oz. and was posture canary, 546,625

$883.7 M
around the long laid in June 1997 at measured 0.275” in of all eggs 542,714
axis, 9” around the Datong Xinda length, 0.2” in produced in
short axis and Ostrich Farm in diameter and Canada come from
weighed nearly China weighed 0.02g Ontario Total value of eggs sold
0.7 lbs.
in Canada in 2010
2008 2009 2010
Sources: Egg Farmers of Canada; Alberta Egg Producers; Statistics Canada; Food and Farming Canada SUSAN BATSFORD, GRAPHICS EDITOR, TWITTER @SBATS1; INFOGRAPHIC BY MEGAN DINNER/QMI AGENCY