Wegmans eggs drop 'Animal Care Certified' label

Misty Edgecomb, Democrat & Chronicle Staff writer

(February 13, 2006) — Cartons of eggs at a Wegmans supermarket no longer bear the label "Animal Care Certified."

Late last year, the Federal Trade Commission deemed using such a logo "misleading" for eggs in response to a lawsuit brought by animal activists.

However, the company is continuing to mark its eggs as certified by the "New York State Egg Quality Assurance Program."

Members of Compassionate Consumers, a Rochester group that advocates for hens, argue that the logo designates a program that does not regulate animal welfare, and that the swap could cause confusion among buyers who assume the programs are comparable.

Compassionate Consumers and other groups around the country oppose egg farms' use of "battery cages," saying that they are too constraining.

Wegmans spokeswoman Jeanne Colleluori responded that the egg quality logo, which designates a food safety program, has been on the company's packaging for years.

The company's decision to remove the animal care logo does not reflect any change in treatment of its hens, she said. Wegmans continues to follow the animal care guidelines of the United Egg Producers, she said.

Compassionate Consumers is also the group behind a 2004 incident at a Wegman's Egg farm in Wayne County. Three members of the organization broke into the farm to film video for a documentary about farm practices, and took nine injured hens with them.

The activists have all been charged with burglary and await trial.