Free Range Fraud...

There was a story in the news yesterday that millions of Battery eggs may have been imported into the UK while incorrectly labelled as Free Range eggs. Defra are investigating the issue, which may have larger implications for the market.

I rarely eat eggs these days, I only buy them a couple of times a year, as they are hard to get through when you eat them alone! I only ever buy organic eggs now, as a couple of years ago I read the "Rough Guide to Ethical Shopping". This book is not for the faint hearted, as it honestly changed the way I thought about the food I eat and the products I buy. If you took it all to heart you would probably end up wearing grey hemp and eating beans and nothing else, but I found it fascinating and made many simple changes to the way I shop and eat.

I'd never purchased battery eggs, always sticking to free range (as an adult in general, not just vegetarian), but I was alarmed to read that free range chickens still don't have a great quality of animal welfare, for the main. The large flock sizes still cause stress, they are more likely to be debeaked because they are prone to fighting, and the nature of "free range" can be questionable on some farms. I strictly stick to organic because the standards are so much better: read the Soil Association's pages on organic poultry farming to learn more, or see the CIWF site for information on battery farming.

If you have any plans to decorate eggs this easter, try going organic!

Comments

[Phil Westwood]

The illegal substitution of eggs is a problem in many countries. But even when the rules are followed consumers may not be getting what they think they are buying because the industry definition of 'free range' doesn't match the consumer view.