Animals and shoppers deserve fair food labels!

Until October 28th, the Canadian government is running a public consultation about how eggs can be labelled and packaged so that they don’t mislead consumers. While the focus is on plant-based eggs, this is an opportunity to call for fairness in labelling of ALL egg products, especially eggs from chickens.

The Canadian egg industry farms about 27 million hens. Most of these gentle, curious animals are forced to spend their entire lives in small, metal cages that severely restrict their movement. Egg cartons are not required to disclose this cruel treatment, and they are permitted to use misleading words and images that give the false impression that hens live happy lives. Surveys show that the majority of Canadians are misled by typical egg carton labels, often paying more for eggs that appear to be better for animals but in reality, are not.

Join us in calling on the Canadian government to require fair labelling for all eggs!

Your Message

Subject*

cfia

labelling

consultation

Canadian government

Dear CFIA Food Labelling Consultation Team,

I am writing to participate in the consultation about your “Proposed guidance on how to label and represent plant-based alternatives to egg products”. This consultation is a great opportunity for Canadians and decision-makers to closely scrutinize the labelling of the billions of chicken eggs sold on the market each year, and not just the small number of egg products on grocery store shelves made from plants.

Research shows that current egg labels are misleading. A survey by Bryant Research of more than 1,000 shoppers earlier this year found that Canadian consumers are guided by animal welfare concerns when choosing their eggs, even when higher welfare means higher prices. However, the majority are misled by egg packaging and labels, leading them to be misinformed about hen welfare and to make purchases that do not align with their values, even when they are more expensive.

Most hens are forced to spend their entire lives in small, metal cages that severely restrict their movement. Yet egg cartons are permitted to use misleading words and images that give the false impression that hens live happy lives.

Humane Society International/Canada has urged the government to require method-of-production labelling on eggs for over a decade, so that consumers have access to the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions at the grocery store. Given that over 70% of Canadians oppose the use of cages for hens, it makes sense to require egg cartons to clearly state if they come from hens housed in cages of any kind. Eggs should also be required to disclose whether hens are subjected to any physical mutilations, such as beak trimming, whether they are given antibiotics, what they are fed and the environmental impact of producing the eggs.

It would also be wise for egg labels to include a health warning, given that eating half an egg per day is associated with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a higher risk of death (Zhong et al., 2019).

Similarly, plant-based egg products should be required to state that they come from plants, not chickens. They should not, however, be required to reinvent the wheel when it comes to convenient forms of packaging, or use terms and descriptions that are unappealing or unfamiliar to shoppers. Plant-based egg products reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses like salmonella, the spread of viruses like avian influenza, and the negative health outcomes associated with consuming a lot of cholesterol. They also have a lower environmental footprint.

At a time when consumers are more interested than ever in eating plant-based foods for ethical, environmental and health reasons, I encourage the CFIA to ensure that plant-based products can compete fairly with their animal-based counterparts and require more transparency from the conventional meat, dairy, eggs and seafood that are harming animals, our planet and public health.

Sincerely,

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{user_data~City} {user_data~Province}
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