NestFresh Intends to be First in the US to Implement In-Ovo Sexing
NestFresh, a leader in the US speciality egg sector, announced that they will be using in-ovo sexing technology for their entire egg line later this year. They intend to be the first company to use the technology in the US, having already placed their first orders for in-ovo sexed chicks with a US hatchery.
Under the leadership of Executive VP Mike Sencer, NestFresh has pioneered many of the most significant changes in the egg industry in the last 50 years. Nestfresh was the first national brand to offer cage-free, non-GMO, and organic eggs, as well as the first to offer Regenerative Organic Certified milks and eggs under their New Barn Organics line. In the year that Innovate Animal Ag has been working with the NestFresh team, they have invested significant effort to understand the technology, monitoring its success in Europe (where it now boasts a 20% market penetration), and ensuring its readiness for the US market. NestFresh's adoption of in-ovo sexing technology thus signals this will be the next major trend in the US egg industry.
Mimi Stein, the Executive Director of Humane Farm Animal Care, which oversees the Certified Humane® program agrees: “We see this movement as part of a major paradigm shift to correct a longstanding industry challenge in egg production,” she said in the press release. Given NestFresh’s national reach through natural channels like Whole Foods Market and Natural Grocers, and conventional grocers like Albertsons and Kroger, many Americans will have the opportunity to buy these more ethical eggs by the end of next year.
Speciality egg producers like Vital Farms, large CPG companies like Unilever, and major distributors like UNFI have all expressed interest in adopting in-ovo sexing once it's available in the US. Similarly, other US specialty egg producers have recently announced that they will use the technology in late 2024 and early 2025. These business leaders recognize the market opportunity for brands built around more humane practices, as consumers are happy to pay premium prices for products aligned with their expectations for responsible animal stewardship.
In their press release, NestFresh also notes that they will be using “non-invasive in-ovo sexing,” likely implying that the technology will use an imaging-based approach, as opposed to liquid-based analysis. Though these machines will be on US soil later this year, retailers and consumers looking to purchase these eggs will need to wait a little longer. It takes around 20 to 24 weeks for chicks to start producing eggs, meaning the first NestFresh eggs produced using in-ovo sexing should hit US shelves in mid-2025. They will be accompanied by third-party certification at launch to ensure transparency and accountability.
