Trader Joe's is currently being sued over their egg advertising, which suggests that their eggs are “cage free”.
Their carton depicts an image of birds that are able to roam freely in a vast, open green space. And this is often very far from the truth when we see egg cartons on the shelves that claim to be “cage free, or “free range”.
It's alleged that Trader Joe's hens specifically are kept in industrial hen houses and they don't have access to any green pastures. They are never exposed to the outdoors, roaming around on green grass like the picture suggests. And if many consumers knew this, then they might not be purchasing those eggs.
Pasture raised, unlike cage free, ensures that the birds get to roam freely outside like you would expect when seeing a picture like that depicted on the Trader Joe's egg carton. Aside from pasture-raised there is also the option for 'free-roaming' or 'certified organic' egg options which also promise outdoor access to the birds, but sometimes you find those birds aren't given as much liberty as the pasture-raised variety.
Below is an image that shows the differences between the spaces afforded for the “free range”, “cage free” and “caged” variety, compared to the pasture-raised.
Unfortunately, this further goes to demonstrate how the labels on our food are frequently misleading and if we want to be sure of the quality of our food then we should know exactly where it is coming from, or even take the time to grow it ourselves. Whether that's a few herbs on the windowsill, a few veggies in the backyard, or a much larger scale growing operation, embracing any level of self-sufficiency in this area can provide a variety of benefits.
The increasing need for quality food has fueled an explosion worldwide, in the number of people who have started growing their own food. A variety of projects are looking to use hydroponics, underground greenhouses, growing on rooftops, balconies, in old fallout shelters, anywhere that they can in order to try and meet the need for quality food.
If you want quality, then it is often going to come with a higher price but it's important to vote with your dollars for the growing methods, animal-raising practices etc, that you support.
The lawsuit by the ALDF has been launched in the California Superior Court and if successful in their efforts, they are ultimately looking to use force via the state to try and solve the problem. This is because they are turning to the state to try and force Trader Joe's to stop engaging in what they see as deceptive labeling practices. Trying to tell them how to label their products. And force isn't the only way to get things done, nor an effective way to try and solve issues.
The more information that you have about where your food is coming from, the more informed a decision you can make about what to buy. Thanks to the internet there are many resources available to try and research different food companies and determine how the food is made or what goes into the process.
You could delegate that responsibility to someone else. For example, you could just always trust the USDA organic label (or some other label) to direct your consumer choices for you. But then, you might come to later regret that decision.
To be sure that the labels that you see on your food products aren't deceiving you, you might want to spend a little time getting to know those businesses more and what goes into the production process for their goods.
Pics:
pixabay
via rootsimple
Vital Farms via huff post
giphy
Sources:
https://mic.com/articles/188568/trader-joes-sued-for-advertising-suggesting-its-eggs-come-from-free-roaming-hens#.QGowvDQCW
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/features/forget-free-range-is-grass-fed-and-pasture-raised-better-for-ani/
http://nationalpost.com/life/food/trader-joes-is-being-sued-for-a-misleading-egg-carton-but-what-does-it-mean-to-say-eggs-are-free-run-or-free-range
https://iegpolicy.agribusinessintelligence.informa.com/PL215737/Lawsuit-targets-Trader-Joes-for-deceptive-imagery-on-cagefree-eggs
Related Posts:
The Fight For Egg Freedom Against California
https://steemit.com/food/@doitvoluntarily/the-fight-for-egg-freedom-against-california