COK Petitions FDA to Mandate Full Disclosure on Egg Cartons
It’s time for the egg industry to stop scrambling the truth.
When most people think about where eggs come from, they’re likely to
conjure up idyllic images of Old MacDonald’s Farm. This should come as
no surprise since such picturesque scenes adorn many egg cartons found
on grocery store shelves across the United States. Consumers also face
a barrage of assertions aiming to assuage their concern about animal
cruelty. These images and claims on egg cartons, however, don’t necessarily
reflect how the hens who laid those eggs were actually treated.
Nor do they legally have to.
While federal agencies have already taken on the task of regulating
and mandating a variety of health and safety claims consumers see on egg cartons,
the use of animal welfare labels is currently unregulated in the United States. This
enables egg producers to advertise pictures of happy hens roaming around outside
or stamp phrases like “animal-friendly” and “naturally raised” on
cartons indiscriminately—even if those eggs were laid by hens intensively confined
inside wire battery cages. In fact, the dismal reality is that more than 95% of eggs produced in
the U.S. come from caged hens forced to spend their lives inside battery cages so
restrictive, they can barely even move.
Not only is the egg industry cruelly confining hens in
cages, it’s also deceiving consumers about that abuse
Battery-caged hens are so intensively confined, they can barely even move.
Nearly 300 million laying hens are confined in wire battery cages in the U.S.
Common egg industry practices, however, enjoy little public support. Polls
show that the overwhelming majority of consumers are opposed to the use of
battery cages. Yet this cruel method of production, which has been banned in
several countries in Europe based on welfare concerns, continues to dominate
the U.S. egg industry. To make matters worse, with no federal regulations inplace
to prevent deceptive animal welfare labeling, claims on egg cartons can—and
commonly do—mislead consumers with false or exaggerated claims.
In other words, not only is the egg industry cruelly confining hens
in cages, it’s also deceiving consumers about that abuse.
Taking Action
In September 2006, COK, along with Penn Law Animal Law Project* filed a
rule-making petition with the Food and Drug Administration requesting that
the agency address this rampant use of misrepresentations on egg cartons.
The petition specifically outlines the dire need for mandatory labels on egg
cartons clearly identifying production methods. If approved, battery cage egg
producers would be required to stamp their cartons with the phrase: “Eggs
from Caged Hens.” Read
the full text of our petition.
Lend Your Voice
The European Union has already implemented the mandatory use of production-
method labels on egg cartons. Consumers—and hens—in the U.S.
deserve the same. It’s crucial that the FDA hears from you!
Submit a comment using the
FDA’s online form‡ to:
Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane
Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852
Please take action now! The deadline for comments is March 27, 2007.
Read the full text of our petition and to learn more about how you
can make a difference for egglaying hens.
* Penn Law Animal Law Project is a student-led pro-bono project at
the University of Pennsylvania School of Law.
‡ Please be sure to include the petition’s docket number on all correspondence with
the FDA: Docket # 2006P - 0394.
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