The Happy Egg Co accused of misleading customers in CMA complaint

Noble Foods-owned The Happy Egg Co has been accused of misleading customers over hen welfare in a new complaint made to the Competition & Markets Authority.

Animal welfare non-profit A Bit Weird has alleged there is a disconnect between the “joyful, healthy hens” portrayed in marketing and the reality of life for hens on its farms.

The charity, founded by This founder Andy Shovel, said this constituted a violation of UK consumer protection laws.

The complaint claims that Happy Egg’s branding and marketing uses language and imagery that paint an idyllic picture of animal welfare while undercover investigations suggest otherwise.

“Seventy-four per cent of UK adults consider animal welfare when they decide which groceries to buy, so it’s unsurprising that brands try to tap into this huge driver of purchase intent,” said Shovel. “But we believe that The Happy Egg Co is duping British consumers with cartoons of lush green meadows and smiling hens that are jumping for joy, when the reality is quite grisly. That’s just a bit weird.”

The brand has “strongly refuted” the allegations, saying they “do not reflect the conditions on our farms or the values of our brand”.

The key allegations include concerns over enrichment, space to roam and ‘happiness first’ claims, as well as visual misrepresentation.

A Bit Weird said marketing materials showed only healthy, fully feathered hens while investigations had documented injuries, feather loss and beak trimming affecting over 90% of Happy Egg hens. Beak trimming is a standard practice across the UK non-organic egg industry. 

Read more: Waitrose unveils chicken welfare labelling scheme and hits BCC target early

The charity said that while Happy Egg promoted “calming and enriching environments” for its hens, investigations had documented overcrowded conditions. It also said that despite claims that hens had “lots of room to roam, relax and play”, the complaint alleged that many hens remained indoors due to barren outdoor areas and that all hens spent their first 16 weeks indoors. As an industry standard, all laying hens are reared indoors during this early stage of development, across free-range systems. 

The complaint also argues that stocking density and welfare practices fall below standards used by other farms that comply with Soil Association organic certification. However, Happy Egg is a free-range not organic brand and therefore is not expected to meet organic standards. 

“We are committed to ensuring transparency with our consumers, and work closely with our farmers to ensure they meet our stringent welfare standards, with each farm independently audited by third parties including the RSPCA Assured,” said a Noble Foods spokesperson.

“The welfare of our hens is our highest priority, and each hen has daily access to ranges, for eight hours or more, and our ranges provide a minimum of 20% tree cover, which is significantly above free-range standards,” they added. “We also provide enriching indoor environments with perches and toys, and all housing meets or exceeds RSPCA Assured standards.”

The complaint is also backed up by a petition: ‘Stop Egg-Washing: A Call For ‘The Happy Egg Co’ To Change Their Name’, which is going live at the same time as the complaint is submitted to the CMA.

The complaint comes as the CMA’s new consumer protection powers came into force this week.