Egg labelling systems help consumers make welfare-informed choices, but significant confusion exists about what different labels actually mean for hen welfare.
Egg labelling creates the conditions for welfare-conscious consumer choice but label proliferation and weak standards undermine its effectiveness. Consumers who believe they are choosing higher-welfare eggs based on labelling may be receiving lower welfare than expected. Clearer, evidence-based labelling with outcome measures rather than input descriptions would enable genuinely informed choice.