Making sense of egg labels.

Most eggs produced in Australia today are still laid by hens confined in battery cages — some 5 million birds every year.

Most of these eggs are used in food products like sauces, pasta and cakes. The rest end up in egg cartons on a supermarket shelf. But it’s not just those trapped in cages who suffer for eggs; male chicks in all systems (including barn-laid and free range) are killed the day they hatch, and all layer hens are considered ‘spent’ at just a fraction of their natural lifespan.

It can be challenging to understand what the various logos and terms on packaging actually mean for the animals who laid the eggs. Below, we have attempted to demystify egg production systems in no-nonsense terms to help you make truly informed and kinder choices.

Standards and certification systems included in the table:

• Industry standard outlined in the Model of Code Practice (MCoP)
• RSPCA Approved Farming (RSPCA)
• Free Range Egg Producers Australia (FREPA)
• Coles own brand specifications
• Woolworths own brand specifications
• Australian Certified Organic (ACO)

These are the logos and terms behind the certification schemes outlined in the above table. It’s not an exhaustive list of the brands behind egg products but instead a snapshot of some of the most common accreditation labels you’re likely to see in the supermarket.

‘RSPCA Approved’

The RSPCA Approved farming system accredits egg farms to RSPCA standards. Barn laid eggs can be RSPCA Approved, therefore not all RSPCA Approved farms allow hens access to an outdoor area. The description ‘barn laid’, ‘free range’ or ‘outdoor’ on RSPCA Approved egg cartons will indicate if the hens had access to the outdoors or were confined indoors (barn laid).

‘Free Range’

Conditions in free range egg farms can vary dramatically. While smaller scale producers might stick to the 1,500 birds per hectare as the recommended maximum, regulations endorsed in 2018 allow farmers to keep hens at stocking density of up to 10,000 birds per hectare and still label their eggs as ‘free range’. Check the egg carton for the stocking density which must be clearly printed.

Along with RSPCA Approved free range eggs, this logo also indicates that the eggs have come from hens raised on a true free range farm.

‘Certified Organic’

Certified organic eggs come from hens kept on farms which meet and exceed standards of the best free range facilities. However, simply the word ‘organic’ on an egg carton can sometimes mislead people to think the welfare of hens meets certified organic standards — when it may merely mean that hens in barns are fed organic grains.

These are some of the logos that indicate that the hens are raised on a certified organic farm.

‘Barn laid’ or ‘Cage free’

Hens in barn laid housing systems are not confined in cages so they can move around. However, high stocking densities can restrict their ability to move freely and exercise. Being confined indoors also restricts their freedom to perform natural behaviours that provide quality of life. Barn laid eggs may also be labelled as ‘cage free’.

Other claims on egg cartons

There are many other marketing terms used on egg cartons to imply higher welfare. These labels should be read discerningly. Terms such as ‘Vegetarian’, ‘Eco eggs’ and ‘Omega 3 eggs’ for example are not recognised descriptors that define the type of housing system or a level of welfare for hens.

The term ‘Cage free’ is also regularly used but it is important to note that these hens are raised in barns and do not have access to the outdoors.

Likewise, don’t be misled by clever imagery — some cartons may depict birds sitting on nests, or in green rolling fields, but unless accompanied by an accreditation label, these images are most likely to be inaccurate.

It is important that consumers are aware that there are ethical and welfare issues common to all egg production systems — including free range and organic.

All egg systems are faced with a universal ‘problem’ when it comes to the hatching of chicks raised for egg laying. Since only female chickens lay eggs, male chicks who have no commercial value to the egg industry are routinely gassed or ‘macerated’ (ground up alive). As a result, every year millions of male chicks are killed on their first day of life as waste products of the Australian egg industry.

Another common concern is the slaughter of layer hens, years before their natural life span. Hens will naturally live for around 10 years, but most layer hens in Australia are sent to slaughter as soon as they exceed their productive ‘use by date’.

In all egg production systems, from cage to free range, hens are considered ‘spent’ from just 18 months old. Occasionally however, if it’s deemed commercially viable, hens in free range systems will be kept on for another season which would extend their life for around 12 months — still well short of what nature intended.

Ultimately, all ‘spent’ hens will be trucked to the same slaughterhouses. From catching (de-population) to transport, to their eventual slaughter — this is a process that is fraught and frightening for the birds.

Current demand for eggs in Australia can only be met by factory farming — whether in a cage or confining birds in the thousands inside sheds for their entire lives. But this demand never would have existed if people knew the truth about how animals are being treated.

Refusing to buy cage eggs is an important first step to eliminating some of the worst cruelties inflicted on hens. But the entrenched egg farming practices detailed above will only be dismantled if caring consumers also make the choice to eat fewer or no eggs.

We didn’t create these systems, but we can change them. And what we eat is a powerful agent for change. As people become aware of the ethical issues relating to all egg laying systems, more and more are choosing plant-based alternatives to eggs that are readily available (in their own pantries or in most supermarkets). Here are some handy resources to get you started:

• Easy egg-free cooking
• Plant-based swaps for milk, butter and eggs
• Egg replacement products available in supermarkets