Open House Food Service
February, 2014
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Free -range
confusion
Free -range eggs are more expensive than cage eggs but paying extra
doesn't necessarily guarantee that hens are able to roam free, discovers
Ylla Wright.
Awareness of the animal
welfare issues surrounding the
production of eggs has sky -rocketed
in recent years, with demand for
more ethically -produced, freerange and organic eggs increasing
accordingly. While free -range and
organic eggs are undeniably more
expensive than cage produced eggs,
many Australians are now more than
happy to pay a few more dollars for a
dozen, or as a premium at restaurants
and cafes that choose to use them on
their breakfast menus.
It seems however that just because
chefs and consumers alike are
prepared to pay extra for eggs that
have been produced in a humane,
ethical manner, they may not be
getting what they're paying for.
Free -range egg production has been in
the spotlight for all the wrong reasons
in recent months after allegations
emerged that some producers are
making misleading free -range egg
claims.
In December, the Australian
Competition and Consumer
Commission (ACCC) filed separate
proceedings in the Federal Court
The ACCC alleged that the two
companies used wording and
images on packaging and online
which suggested that "eggs were
produced by hens that were farmed
in conditions so that the laying hens
were able to move about freely on
an open range every day, and /or by
hens, most of which moved about
freely on an open range on most
days ". Instead, the ACCC alleged
the eggs supplied by the companies
were produced by hens that weren't
able to prove about freely on an
open range because of the stocking
densities of the barns the hens were
housed in, the physical openings
of the barns, the conditions of the
outdoor range, and /or manner in
which the hens were trained in the
barns.
Labelling matters
While acknowledging the welfare
issues relating to egg production,
ACCC chairman Rod Sims has
been quick to point out that the
commission does not have a role
in "determining whether particular
farming practices are appropriate
and the ACCC is not debating the
merits of cage, barn or free range
systems".
"The ACCC's concern is simply
to ensure that the labelling of eggs
accurately reflect the particular
farming practices of the producer
and the expectations of a consumer
making purchasing choices based
on those representations," he said.
"Credence claims such as free range, organic, place of origin or
country of origin are all powerful
tools for businesses to distinguish
their products, but misleading
consumers who may pay a
premium to purchase such products
damages the market and is unfair to
competitors."
The ACCC proceedings were
welcomed by consumer group
Choice, coming hot on the heels
of the group lodging a "super
complaint" with NSW Fair Trading
in October which asked Fair Trading
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against egg producers in WA and
NSW alleging that each of the
producers use of "free- range" was
misleading.
[email protected]
Ref: 240387071
Open House Food Service
February, 2014
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General News
National, AU
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press clip
Market share
According to statistics released by
the Australian Egg Corporation,
the Australian egg industry
produced a total of 392 million
dozen eggs during 2011. Of these
cage eggs accounted for 55 per
cent of the retail market, around
71 million dozen, with free range
e :s representing 34 per cent, at
43 million dozen.
to investigate potentially misleading
free -range egg claims. The complaint
was prompted by Choice finding
that consumers are paying double
the price of cage eggs for products
that may not actually be free -range.
Choice research found that
consumers purchasing free -range
eggs expect that the hens have
access to the outdoors and space
to move around with limits on the
number of birds on the outdoor
range, even though the Australian
Egg Corporation has admitted there
is huge variation in the conditions
in supposedly free -range operations.
"The ACCC's announcement
confirms what Choice has long
feared - that in the absence of an
enforceable national standard,
some free -range claims are not
all they're cracked up to be," said
Choice campaigns manager Angela
Cartwright.
`Consumers are confronted with
cartons awash with images of
solitary chooks standing in sunlit
pastures, but there's no guarantee
you're getting what you pay for.
"The ACCC's crackdown on dodgy
free -range claims shows exactly why
consumers paying a premium for
supposedly free -range eggs need a
consistent and enforceable standard
governing the use of free -range
claims."
Open for interpretation
Part of the problem is that the
definition of free -range is not set
in stone in Australia. Currently the
National Model Code of Practice for
the welfare of animals defines free range as having a stocking density of
no more than 1500 birds per hectare,
however it is not enforceable. In
July 2013 Queensland dropped
its legislated free -range stocking
density of 1500 birds per hectare in
favour of 10,000 birds per hectare,
while major retailers Coles and
Woolworths have announced
stocking densities of 10,000 birds
per hectare, nearly seven times the
Model Code limit.
Taking a different viewpoint is the
South Australian government, which
announced the introduction of a
voluntary code in September that
will certify eggs as free -range only
if the number of hens is capped at
1500 per hectare.
Making the announcement, which
followed a period of community
consultation, South Australia's
Minister for Business Services and
Consumers, John Rau, said there was
strong support from egg producers
and the community for the cap.
According to the new code, for
producers to access the South
Australian Free Range accreditation,
they must meet the following
requirements:
A maximum of 1500 laying hens
per hectare in a free range system;
induced moulting is not permitted;
hens have access to range outdoors
for a minimum of eight hours per
day; and
sufficient overhead shade should
be provided to encourage hens to
access the range.
An accreditation logo will start to
appear on egg cartons that meet the
requirements this year.
While no other state currently
provides a legal definition for free range eggs, NSW Fair Trading has,
following the Choice complaint,
announced that it will push for a
national and enforceable free -range
Ensuring you buy free -range
With debate over the definition of
free -range and misleading labelling
continuing, one way to ensure that
the eggs you're buying are truly free range is to choose certified organic
eggs.
According to Owen Gwilliam,
convenor of Australian Organic
standards, buying certified organic
egg ensures that eggs are not only
free range but also produced without
artificial colour additives, antibiotics
and synthetic agrichemicals.
"The Australian Certified Organic
Standard has the most stringent
stocking rates and animal welfare
and environmental management
requirements," Gwilliam said.
To use the Australian Certified
Organic Bud logo, egg farmers
can't stock more than 1500 birds
per hectare or up to 2500 birds
per hectare for layers on pasture
rotations (the practice of rotating
birds from one pasture to another
to maintain vegetative growth and
animal health). These ate equal to the
strictest interpretations of any of the
varying free range standards available
in the market place.
Simon Cripps -Clarke from certified
organic farm Organigrow, in New
South Wales, produces 500 dozen
eggs a day.
"Being certified organic is firstly
about animal welfare," he says. "We
mn a stocking density of 600 birds
per hectare.
"To be certified organic you must
also look after biodiversity. We have
plenty of trees, bushes and natural
shade for the birds and they are
on lush pasture. If you have a high
stocking rate you will lose ground
cover quickly.
"We are also required to buy certified
organic feed that's been produced
without synthetic agrichemicals or
GM [genetic modification]." CM
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egg standard to prevent
consumers being misled by
dodgy free -range claims.
[email protected]
Ref: 240387071