This document summarizes the findings of a study about consumer understanding of egg labeling terms related to animal welfare standards. The study found that most consumers care about issues like environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and supporting local economies when buying eggs. However, many were confused about what various labeling terms like "cage free" and "free range" actually mean in terms of how the hens are raised. For example, over 60% of participants thought labels prohibited practices like beak cutting and forced molting, when in fact all labels allow those practices except Certified Humane. The document concludes by encouraging consumers to learn more about their food sources and support farms with higher animal welfare standards.

1. The Consumer and
the Egg:
Negotiating Eco-Labels
Michele L. W. Knaus
Leadership for Ecology, Culture and Learning
Masters of Education, PSU, 6/14/08
Need a Job!

4. Age
Mostly 26-40
years old Education
90% well
educated
25 or younger 26-40 41-60 61 or older High School College Post-Grad Professional
Yearly Household Income
Wide range of Incomes

5. Consumer Identification
with Issues
vote with my food dollar 88% Politics
food system issues 95% Politics
environmental issues 98% Earth Friendly
ethical treatment of animals 91% Animal Lovers
local economy 96% $$ & Community
food cost 79% $$ & Personal Budget
food safety concerns 87% Don’t want to die
0 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00
Percentage who agree with statement

6. Have consumers done their
research?
Thought about where you get your eggs 95%
Looked up information about eggs online 56%
Visited your egg producer’s website 25%
Visted your egg farm 21%
Noticed if grocery store had information 24%
0 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00

7. Who Certifies the Ecolabels?
Consumers thought they knew who
certified cage free and free range eggs...
but they were wrong.
Thought
they were
right, 63%
got it wrong. Only 21%
actually
got it right
Had no idea. 16%
At least they knew
they didn’t know... no idea got it wrong

8. Why care about eggs?
Buying Local
✴ Reduces Food Miles
✴ Supports Local
Community & Farmers

9. Why care about eggs?
Environmental
Issues
✴ Factory Farms pollute
land, water, and air quality
✴ Effects felt by laborers and
local community

10. Ethics of Eating
Chickens get 67
square inches of cage
space for their
lifetime

11. Ecolabel: Cage Free
• No small cages
• Chickens live their lives
in warehouses
• No monitoring by any
agencies or 3rd parties
• Use of term at whim of
marketing department

12. Ecolabel: Free Range
• No small cages
•Amount of
access to • Chickens live their
lives in
outdoors is not warehouses
regulated or
standard
• No monitoring by
any agencies or
3rd parties
• Use of term at
whim of marketing
department

13. Certified Organic
• All the benefits of
cage free and free
range eggs, plus
chickens are fed
(expensive)
organic,
vegetarian feed
• Third party
audited

14. Certified Humane
Raised and Handled
• High Standards for
chickens’ welfare: many
regulations regarding
natural behavior and
stocking density
• Third party audited
• No Molting by
Starvation

15. What the Terms Mean
Ethical Treatment
Beak Cutting Molting by Starvation
- searing off of the tip of - starvation for 2 weeks
the beak to prevent of laying hens to induce
chicken attacks among another few weeks of
crowded flock laying before chicken is
terminated
60% of survey participants thought
no label allowed this, but the 63% of survey participants thought
industry truth is that they ALL NO label permitted this, but in
allow this truth, the only one that doesn’t is
Certified Humane Raised and
Handled.

16. Vegetarian Fed: makes sure that the
laying hens aren’t fed some really nasty stuff
Make a note: certified organic eggs already guarantees
vegetarian, antibiotic-free feed, you don’t have to look for
this label on your egg carton if you buy organic

17. Ridiculous Labels
No Hormones
it is unlawful to feed laying hens hormones,
so ALL eggs are hormone-free
Natural
WTF?
100% Pure

18. Best Buy: Pastured Eggs
Farmers’ Markets, Farm Stands
CSAs
Chicken Co-ops (Zenger Farm)
Buyers’ Clubs (Abundant Life Farm, Afton Field Farm)
Raise your own at home!

20. Do You Know Where Your Food Comes From?
Vote with your Food Dollar
For the Food System YOU Want