'Free-Range' Egg Label Meaningless

Most Chicken And Egg Labels Have No Rules To Back Them If you thought a few extra pennies for "free range" eggs was worth it for the sake of improving the lot of the average hen, you might want to think again. Like many food labels, "free range" is a term of art, which means it has more value as a marketing scheme than a statement of fact. If a chicken has access to the outdoors -- however improbable it might be that it actually use that access -- it's meat and eggs can be labeled as "free range." Until there's some meat put on these terms, look for third-party certifiers, like Humane Farm Animal Care's Certified Humane label. For more on truth in labeling, read on. Related Stories Chinese Food Makers Don't Trust China China Looks In Mirror: Sees Poor Food Safety Candy Has Stealth Ingredients From China Under Pressure, Congress Reconsiders Country-Of-Origin Food Labels SAFE FOOD WATCH: Eye On Pesticides A Special Report Chinese Seafood Imports Halted Toxic Toothpaste Scandal Grows Death Toll From Toxic Cough Syrup Could Be 300 China Cracks Down On Food Makers Apples And Garlic Top Chinese Food Imports Law Hides U.S. Food Origins: From Afghanistan To Zimbabwe