Source: SAFE For Animals
Animal rights organisation SAFE is urging the Commerce Commission to enforce honest egg labelling after polling shows most Kiwis don’t realise ‘colony-laid’ eggs come from caged hens.
Currently, all New Zealand cage egg brands omit the word ‘cage’ entirely from their packaging, using vague and confusing terms like ‘colony’ or ‘colony laid’ instead.
SAFE says current egg labels breach the Fair Trading Act by concealing the fact that ‘colony-laid’ eggs come from caged hens.
“The New Zealand egg industry knows all too well how Kiwis feel about cruel cage hen farming-that’s exactly why they’ve scrubbed the word ‘cage’ from their packaging,” says Head of Campaigns Jessica Chambers.
SAFE’s concerns were founded after polling revealed a shocking 86% of New Zealanders did not understand ‘colony laid’ eggs are from caged hens. Three quarters of Kiwis (76%) agreed this labelling is misleading.
“By omitting the word ‘cage’ from cage egg products, the egg industry isn’t just misleading Kiwis-they’re hiding the very real and ongoing suffering of the 1.2 million hens trapped in cages across Aotearoa right now,” says Chambers.
Hens farmed in ‘colony’ cages are caged for life, with no access to the outdoors, fresh air, grass or sunlight. Up to 80 hens are crammed into one cage, allowing hens only 750cm2 of space each (around the size of an A4 sheet of paper). All birds have their beaks partially removed to reduce stress induced pecking injuries and are killed at just 18 months of age.
SAFE says hens confined in cages are prevented from expressing many of their most basic natural behaviours, a breach of New Zealand’s Animal Welfare Act 1999.
“These deceptive labels are no accident. If cage egg producers were honest, they’d risk losing sales from ethically-minded consumers. Instead, Kiwis are being misled by confusing labels and packaging adorned with images of sunshine and love hearts-anything but the crucial word ‘cage.’”
SAFE raised their concerns on this matter with the Commerce Commission in 2020, however no action was taken. Since then, hundreds of millions of cage eggs have been sold under misleading labels.
SAFE is Aotearoa’s leading animal rights organisation.
We’re creating a future that ensures the rights of animals are respected. Our core work empowers society to make kinder choices for ourselves, animals and our planet.
- 2024 Verian Poll ‘Understanding how the term ‘colony laid’ is interpreted’ attached.
- Brands currently using this misleading label include Farmer Brown, Morning Harvest, Country Life and Sure as Eggs market eggs.
- Polling has shown that 76% of Kiwis are in favor of a ban on colony cages.
- Under the Fair Trading Act 1986;
- No person shall, in trade, engage in conduct that is misleading or deceptive or is likely to mislead or deceive.
- No person shall, in trade, engage in conduct that is liable to mislead the public as to the nature, manufacturing process, characteristics, suitability for a purpose, or quantity of goods.
- One third of eggs produced in New Zealand are from caged hens.
- Supermarkets across New Zealand have pledged to remove cage eggs from their shelves. Woolworths North Island pledged to be cage-free by 2024, Woolworths South Island will be cage-free by the end of 2025. Foodstuffs supermarkets (New World and Pak’nSave) will be cage-free by 2027.
- 2021 interview with ex-colony cage farm employee (Northern Eggs) reveals cruel farming conditions on ‘colony’ cage farm.
- The egg industry has come under fire in the past for selling eggs with incorrect labels.
