One have a look at the Completely happy Egg Co. web site, and any cheap shopper would assume, wow, this firm actually cares concerning the welfare of the hens that produce the “blissful eggs” it sells to customers.
On one web page, the corporate says:
“Freedom is vital to being a cheerful, wholesome hen. So we fortunately uphold the 5 Freedoms of Animal Welfare, globally acknowledged as the important thing components of animal welfare people can management.”
On one other Completely happy Egg webpage, customers learn that “All people’s Completely happy”:
“All of us make selections in life. On the Completely happy Egg Co, we select to make ours maximize well being and happiness. We all know blissful farmers make for blissful hens. Completely happy hens lay blissful, wholesome eggs. And Completely happy Eggs make all people blissful. To not point out wholesome.”
That’s quite a lot of happiness. So think about our shock after we sued Completely happy Egg for false and misleading advertising, solely to be taught from the corporate’s attorneys that Completely happy Egg doesn’t consider that its personal animal welfare advertising claims—a minimum of not the claims it makes on its egg cartons—ought to need to be verified or regulated.
In truth, Completely happy Egg maintains that cities and states needs to be fully prohibited from regulating animal welfare advertising claims on egg merchandise, as a result of the corporate complies with federal egg labeling requirements. The issue, after all, is that Completely happy Egg additionally argues that “there is no such thing as a federal commonplace defining ‘pasture raised.’”
In different phrases, in accordance with Completely happy Egg, the federal authorities doesn’t regulate animal welfare claims on egg merchandise, and state and native governments shouldn’t be allowed to take action both.
At the very least, that’s the place the corporate’s attorneys took once they argued that our lawsuit needs to be dismissed. The court docket rejected the arguments specified by Completely happy Egg’s movement to dismiss, so the lawsuit will transfer ahead.
However we thought customers may need to understand how the authorized minds at Completely happy Egg view animal welfare claims—no matter what the corporate tells you, the buyer, about how deeply it cares concerning the hens that produce such “blissful” eggs.
In March, Natural Shoppers Affiliation sued Completely happy Egg Co. for false, misleading and deceptive promoting claims. Right here’s why. As said on the corporate web site, Completely happy Eggs are licensed “Free-Vary” by the American Humane Affiliation (AHA). What does that imply?
AHA independently certifies eggs in accordance with three classifications, spelled out right here on the AHA web site. These classifications (as outlined by AHA and different main certifiers) starting from lowest animal welfare requirements to highest, are: Cage Free, Free-Vary and Pasture Raised. AHA has independently licensed Completely happy Eggs as “Free-Vary.” But all through the web site, and on the model’s egg cartons, the corporate additionally states that its hens are “Pasture Raised on Over eight Acres.”
What’s flawed with that assertion? Shoppers searching for eggs that meet animal welfare requirements licensed by third partiesare confused—and even misled—when a model that claims to fulfill AHA’s decrease “Free-Vary” commonplace, additionally claims to be “Pasture Raised,” despite the fact that the eggs don’t meet the upper “pasture raised” commonplace as outlined by AHA.
In truth, the Completely happy Eggs model doesn’t meet AHA’s “Pasture Raised” commonplace of “108.9 sq. toes per hen of outside space throughout the daytime.” AHA says the model’s eggs meet solely its decrease, “daytime entry to an out of doors space of a minimum of 21.eight sq. toes per hen” “Free-Vary” commonplace.
So, what about Completely happy Egg’s declare that its hens are “Pasture Raised on Over eight Acres?”
That assertion tells you solely that the hens are raised on over eight acres—not what number of hens are raised on these eight acres at anybody time. Are there 100 hens on eight acres? 1,000? 10,000? 100,000? The assertion, which seems instantly underneath the “Free-Vary” declare on the carton, leaves out crucial data: what number of hens per acre?
Deceptive? We thought so, therefore the lawsuit.
To be clear, there is no such thing as a regulatory definition of “Pasture Raised.” Organizations like AHA fill that hole by offering impartial animal welfare certification. Shoppers who need to understand how a model’s eggs are produced, together with how the egg-laying hens are handled, depend on these certifications. Not all certification applications are equivalent—right here’s a listing of animal welfare certifiers for eggs.
As we said in our grievance in opposition to Completely happy Egg, it’s a longtime reality {that a} rising variety of customers are involved about—and are basing their shopping for selections on—points associated to sustainability, diet and animal welfare.
In truth, animal welfare considerations persistently rank at or close to the highest of considerations amongst meals customers. Corporations, together with Completely happy Egg, know this. They shouldn’t be allowed to use these considerations by making ambiguous or deceptive claims about their animal welfare practices.
As a acutely aware shopper, you’ve already bought your work reduce out for you on the subject of making sense of all of the certifications and advertising and labeling claims floating round on egg cartons and egg manufacturers’ web sites.
You shouldn’t need to additionally fear about whether or not egg manufacturers are enjoying quick and free with these claims.
For extra on the right way to purchase licensed natural eggs, take a look at this “Scrambled Eggs” report from Cornucopia Institute, or use Cornucopia’s egg scorecard.
Katherine Paul is affiliate director of the Natural Shoppers Affiliation (OCA). To maintain up with OCA information and alerts, join our publication.
