Currently, about 7 million tons of eggs are produced each year in the European Union. Spain is one of the largest producers with 1,260 farms and an average of 67,700 chickens each. Together with France,Spain represents about 25 percent of European production, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment.
In addition, the production of eggs, like other intensive produce, generates negative effects on the environment, including the emission of greenhouse gases or the contamination of soil and water.
It was not until the 1980s that intensive livestock farming began to be considered an environmental problem, and since then, few studies have focused on the impact of laying hen farms on the ecosystem. To determine the environmental implications of egg production in Europe, a team of Spanish researchers has taken as model an intensive poultry farm located in Asturias, with 55,000 laying hens and an annual production of more than 13 million eggs.
Chicken eggs are a low cost source of protein and other key nutrients. They are naturally high in cholesterol. But the cholesterol in eggs doesn't raise cholesterol levels the way other foods do, such as trans fats and saturated fats..studies have found no connection between dietary cholesterol in eggs and cholesterol levels in blood.
There is absolutely no evidence that eating eggs is bad for your heart. A major study looked at the impact of egg consumption on heart disease and found no connection between the two.
Most healthy people can eat seven eggs a week without increasing their risk of heart disease. Some studies have shown that this level of egg consumption may even help prevent certain types of stroke and a serious eye condition called macular degeneration that can lead to blindness. The white of a typical egg contains more than half the protein of the egg. Egg whites are free of fat, and they contain vitamins and minerals. But the yolk contains all the essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins.