Caterers will be urged to purchase eggs bearing the British Lion mark to avoid falling foul of a 2012 ban on conventional battery cages as part of a £1m marketing campaign to be launched next year.
A new website (www.legaleggs.com) will highlight the risk of buying non-compliant eggs from EU countries that are more likely to be contaminated with salmonella.
A parallel "Think Outside The Box" campaign will also encourage consumers to make more of eggs, with a collection of new recipes devised by leading chefs posted to the web and You Tube in January and a series of advertorials in the summer.