Jason Evans, Chief of the Law-enforcement Agency for the Michigan Corporate Oversight Division addressed a letter to Rodney McMullen CEO of the Kroger Company on March 23rd. The letter urged the placement of clear point-of-sale signage identifying cage-free eggs to avoid confusion. This request followed a survey of 650 Kroger customers with half indicating that they desired signage to differentiate between eggs derived from either caged or cage-free flocks. An interesting comment on the understanding of consumers is the revelation that 41 percent of those surveyed associated “Farm Fresh” with “Cage-Free” housing.
In 2016, along with most retailers, Kroger established a target of selling only cage-free eggs by 2025. Recently in concert with other retailers, Kroger noted that it did not anticipate meeting the target, pointing to the high demand for eggs at low prices. Kroger does anticipate selling 70 percent of eggs as “cage-free or at a higher welfare standard” by 2030.
There is considerable confusion among consumers as to the descriptors for housing systems including “cage-fee”, “free-range”, “pasture-housed” among others. Producers use label text mostly conforming to diverse certifications by private associations. USDA-Certified Organic is the only statutory designation.