AT THE FARM
Egg production has changed significantly since the early 1900s. Before, farmers were raising a few hundred hens in outdoor enclosures where the hens laid eggs and circulated freely. This meant the farmers would have to be very careful when picking the eggs distributed around the yard. However, given the climatic conditions of Quebec, they could only keep their production running in the summer because the winter was unbearable for the chickens. At that time, a hen laid about 84 eggs per year.
Today, the portrait of poultry production is completely transformed. Now, most barns in Quebec are large modern buildings which house between 10,000 and 100,000 chickens and everything is done automatically. However, there are still a few small farms - between 2,000 and 5,000 hens - that are providing Nutri-Oeuf with free-run and organic eggs. In these buidlings the hens have access to the exterior. In both types of production: temperature, ventilation, humidity and lighting are all controlled to accomodate the comfort of the hens throughout the year. In modern barns, there is no need to search for eggs in haystacks, they are now sent on a conveyor to facilitate a faster and more efficient harvesting. Water and fresh food is always available. Even manure removal has become easier with the cages smartly built to drop the waste onto conveyors carrying the manure outside the building. This allows eggs and chickens to remain clean and away from diseases. The hens lay over 300 eggs per year, which helps offer consumers a very high quality product at a low price. Hens begin laying at the age of 19 weeks and continue to lay eggs for at least 12 months. There are many different varieties of laying hens in Quebec.
The hens enjoy a well-balanced menu containing cereals, proteins, vitamins, minerals and fresh water in abundance.
AT NUTRI-OEUF
Once the eggs have been gathered, placed on plastic trays and warehoused in a cold room at the farm; refrigerated trucks bring them to Nutri-Oeuf's plant in St.Hyacinthe for grading. Upon arrival, the eggs are stored in a cold room where the temperature and humidity are controlled in order to keep the eggs fresh until they are graded. They are normally graded on the same day they arrive at the plant.
The grading process has several stages. First, the egg trays are placed on a conveyor equipped by electronic arms fitted with suction cups. This special device raises and places the eggs on a conveyor belt for the next step. The eggs enter an ultramodern machine where they are carefully washed and dried. Next, they undergo a human examination process called candling. The eggs pass under a light making the inside visible. Various characteristics are examined at this stage: the shell, the size of the air cell inside and the position of the yolk (whether it is well-centered or not). The rejected and broken eggs (which do not meet our high standards) are labeled and removed from the production line by an electronic detector.
After the human visual verification, a group of cameras proceed with an external verification by identifying any dirt left on the eggs. To identify the cracked eggs, an acoustic detector touches each egg, weighs them and sends the eggs to the packing area by size. Groupe-Nutri-Group eggs are mostly packed in recyclable fiber or plastic recycling packaging. Each carton is dated to indicate the shelf life (normally 35 days after packing).
Category A eggs have a thick egg white, a well-centered yolk, a small air cell, and a clean and solid shell.
Once packaged, the fresh eggs are kept in a cooling area until refrigerated trucks deliver them to supermarkets and distributors. However, in order to ensure the freshness of the eggs and that they meet the Category A Standards, a Nutri-Oeuf quality-control employee carries out spot checks everyday. Inspectors from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency also perform other lab tests to ensure Nutri-Oeuf follows the egg regulations. They also check eggs that have not yet been graded in order to determine the production quality of a particular flock.
If the eggs are well refrigerated at home, the consumers can even consume them after the expiry date; with a slight loss of freshness. To insure the best quality of the eggs, Nutri-Oeuf has a tracability program printed directly on the eggs. Each egg is stamped with a few numbers that allows quick and easy tracking of where the egg comes from and its expiry date. (see tracability header on the home page).
The eggs are delivered to the supermarkets one to three days after they have been laid.
The consumers can enjoy the culinary delights of dishes made with Quebec eggs of Groupe-Nutri-Group brand.