“Eggs screened by hand”

Gottlieb Duttweiler regularly boasted that Migros eggs are individually screened to guarantee their quality. During his lifetime, this screening was done by people; only later were the checkers replaced by machines.

Eggs were appreciated as an inexpensive source of protein, especially by housewives on a tight budget who could afford meat only on occasion. When Gottlieb Duttweiler added eggs to Migros’ product range in 1928, he advertised: «Large fresh eggs for raw consumption, one egg 14 ½ Rp., 10 eggs per carton.» To guarantee freshness, each egg was screened by hand in the distribution centre before being packed.
Migros required a deposit for the carton, until in 1931 it announced: «We are now producing the cartons ourselves, making them significantly less expensive than before. This means we can offer them for free without a big increase in the price of eggs.»
Eggs were strictly rationed during the Second World War, leading Migros to sell «dried powdered eggs». The USA began delivering this dietary supplement to Europe on a large scale after the war ended and in the summer of 1945 it could be purchased without ration stamps. But the Swiss had to wait a little bit longer until they could once again enjoy their daily egg at breakfast: the ration was only lifted at Easter of 1946.