Recently on our Facebook page we invited the community to sign a petition if the “gave a cluck” about real free range eggs.

What is the big deal you may ask?

For eggs to be labelled as free range, the Model Code of Practice states that there should be a maximum of 1500 hens per hectare.

Many brands do not follow the code of practice, with many producers having much higher stocking density of 10,000 hens per hectare.

Why is this an issue?

Being able to label your eggs as free range attracts a higher price tag.

65% of Australians opt to buy free range eggs.

Many people are happy to pay this additional cost if they know that the hens have lots of space to roam around in.

Opportunity for revision to National Standards

Thursday this week, Federal, State and Territory consumer ministers were gathering to develop a national standard for free range eggs.

Choice the consumer advocacy group saw an opportunity for change and hoped that they could send a strong message to ministers that consumers want truth in labelling.

When consumers are buying free range eggs, consumers expect free range to mean free range, that the are allowed to roam freely outside.

New standards

Unfortunately, the government introduced a national information standard for free range egg production which didn’t take into account our hopes for transparency in labelling.  The new proposed standard permits egg producers to label their eggs as free range if:

• 10,000 hens per hectare are stocked
• Hens have “meaningful and regular access to an outdoor range

Additive Free Kids Community is passionate about this issue

We know that the Additive Free Kids community feels passionately about this issue.

At the end of the day, whilst we are talking about eggs and this is not directly related to additives, the fact remains that it is the same issue that we are fighting for – transparency in labelling.

If the regulators will not listen to what the consumers are saying is important to them, then the only other way to have our voice heard is to vote with your dollars.  As we do regularly against additive laden products.

Reward egg producers doing the right thing

As with all additive free products, we wish to reward the manufacturers / producers that are doing the right thing.

Hens that do not go outside and have high stocking density does not meet our definition of free range and as a result is misleading to the consumer to label these eggs as free range.

Egg producers with low stocking density

Thankfully Choice has done some research for us.  This is not a complete list as not all egg producers provide information relating to stocking density.  We would happily support these egg producers as they are transparent in their labelling.

A big thank you to Choice for bringing this to light and all the efforts in researching low stock density egg producers.

Vote with your dollar!